Monteria (Teri) Bass

I attribute my success to two key pieces of advice I've received. First, my mother always told me that nobody owes you anything. If you go out into the world knowing that nobody owes you anything, it makes you work harder. I never thought that I had to depend on somebody else to do something - I just had to do it. That mindset has really driven me throughout my career. The second thing is just do it. I'm a big procrastinator, so this has been important for me. Even when I just finished my dissertation, my advisor told me, you're not solving world hunger here, this is not your life work, just do it, get it done. It reminded me of somebody telling me that before. Those are the two things that have definitely always helped me - knowing nobody owes me anything, which makes me work harder, and just getting things done instead of procrastinating.

The best career advice I've ever received came from two sources. My mother always told me that nobody owes you anything. If you go out into the world knowing that nobody owes you anything, it makes you work harder. That advice has stuck with me because it's true - you can't argue with it. It made me work harder because I never thought that I had to depend on somebody else to do something. I just had to do it. The second piece of advice is just do it. I'm a big procrastinator, so this has been crucial for me. Even when I just finished my dissertation, my advisor told me, you're not solving world hunger here, this is not your life work, just do it, get it done. And it reminded me of somebody telling me that before. Those two things have definitely always helped me throughout my career.

For young people in college and just graduating, my advice is to just try it, whatever it is. I tell them this is the time where you have to explore, because they all get stuck on 'but that's not my passion.' What I tell them is, how about you focus on a career that will pay for your time so you can pursue your passion? If you have the money, then you're comfortable - go for your passion. So just try anything to get your experience and your foot in the door, and then do your passion on the side. I'm also the antithesis of 'college is not for everyone' - I hate that term with a passion. I try to be someone who pushes everyone towards college just to try it. I think about pushing students towards college because I believe college is for everybody, even if specific paths like medical school aren't for everyone. Just try it anyway.

My work and personal values have kind of merged together. The most important thing, and why I fell in love with higher ed, is because it was not a normal space for me when I first went to college. When I went to college, I was a first-generation student, and I had to kind of figure it out on my own as I went through it. So my values have always been with that first-generation student in mind. Even the things that I do outside of work are still around that - pushing students towards college. I hate the term that college is not for everyone. I hate it with a passion. I try to be the antithesis of 'college is not for everyone.' I kind of push everyone towards it just to try it. That's pretty much what my personal life's been about, but also my job, because that's what I do - just make sure everybody finishes college.