Stephanie Goldenberg, Ph.D.

I've had three women in particular who made a huge impact on my career. Dr. Arlene White was my French professor at Salisbury. She saw something in me before I saw it in myself and helped me become a leader in a club that led to student government work and everything else. We've stayed connected since 1994, maybe 1990, and she even attended my dissertation defense for my PhD in community college leadership this past January. Another person is Carol Baker, who was the vice president at United Way of Central Maryland. She taught me some tough tips about how to stay resilient in times of change, believed in me, and helped me grow. She supported me when I had ideas and saw leadership in me before I saw it in myself. These mentors really shaped who I became and gave me the confidence to pursue my goals.

I would definitely listen and ask questions about their goals, personality, and lifestyle, because it's more than just the work. You have to be passionate about the work, and it also has to fit your life stage. Education is not a 9-to-5 job, especially now. It's virtual, and I believe in work-life integration rather than work-life balance. There are times where I'm counseling someone at the grocery store because they recognize me or I'm wearing an AACC shirt. I'd really want to know their why, like why is it of interest to you? What are your values, what are your goals? I'd always recommend, especially if someone was interested in community college education, to teach part-time first. Teach for a while, see what it's like, see how you feel in that role. The way I became full-time at my college is I just pretended like I worked there full-time. I committed as if I were full-time, I joined committees. I figured I'd either win them over or wear them down. I'd want to make sure the place was right for them and they knew what was involved, and then work with them on the first step and the next step, what they could read, who they could talk to. I believe mentoring is about connection, so it's not just having all the answers, but understanding some of the questions and directing the mentee to find the right answers for them. Meet as many people as you can, and you never know what that connection's going to do for you.

I just love the learning environment, and I love the community college environment because it gives students an advantage. It gives them a chance to change their future. It's economic and social mobility, it's so much, and it's affordable and accessible, and I just believe in the community college mission. I'm definitely a mentor to many of my students. I helped establish a faculty mentoring committee at Anne Arundel Community College, working with faculty members interested in promotion, sabbatical, tenure, and other goals. I was like the eHarmony of the college, bringing people together who could work together over a common goal. I work with students mentoring them for their businesses, for the business pitch competition, for pursuing transfer to other schools. Sometimes I'm referred to as Mama G, Professor Goldenberg yes, but also Mama G, so they know that they can trust me and I can be there for them no matter what. I'm in my leadership era right now. I want to cultivate the brand of being not just a doer and a worker, but someone who has vision, who can help others and be seen that way. I want to inspire other women, especially those who aren't quite sure, like do I want to further my degree, or do I want to be entrepreneurial? I would love to inspire someone to go after what they're passionate about and to do the thing that makes them happy, not just the thing that gets them by.