A Letter From Me...
Thanks for taking the time to visit.
Let me introduce myself. I am a social-change entrepreneur working in Cleveland, Ohio. I started my career in direct practice with diverse populations in rural, suburban, and urban spaces.
If you were looking for me in 2006 you might have found me teaching an entrepreneurship class in a small classroom filled with Amish children. In 2008, I was working overnight shifts at a rural domestic violence shelter. In 2012, you might have spotted me in a grocery store helping a physically challenged employee adapt to their role. By 2016, you would have caught me working school functions in Cleveland's Central neighborhood.
These experiences form the basis of my professional career. I have had the honor of working with a wide variety of people with unique
perspectives, strengths, and challenges. I have found myself in a variety of places serving some of the most wise, interesting, and underestimated people in our society.
As I worked in these programs, I became increasingly interested in the administrative decision-making process. After I completed my Master's degree in Social Administration, I moved into roles that focused on program design, grant writing, marketing, policy analysis, fundraising, and lobbying. These roles gave me the skills I needed to map new paths for the people I have served.
While completing my Master's degree, I decided I needed to build more business acumen, and increase my understanding of state and federal government. While completing my final Master's level assignments, I checked out a guidebook from my local library and gave myself two weeks of evening study time to prepare for the LSAT. I assumed I would need to pay for tutoring and retake the exam, but was contemplating what law school could do for me. My scores came back, and I was happily surprised. I applied to several local schools, and made a promise to myself, that I wouldn't go back to school without a plan to pay for it.
My acceptance letter included a full scholarship. Now, there was less time than I had planned. I rolled with the punches and spent five years commuting to Akron from Cleveland after work three to four times a week. During that time, I finished my first year in the top 30% of my class, was promoted from Grant Writer to Assistant Director, raised millions for local nonprofit programs, served as a policy analyst representing community interests in police reform, lobbied government officials for the interests of local governments, and founded a nonprofit social enterprise.
You'll find that I am a thoughtful, passionate, person-centered leader that believes data, metrics, and individual perspectives should be put to work for community good. I believe in the power of humor to educate and strengthen connections. I tend to think holistically, but like to take time to distill large concepts down to bite-sized pieces. I believe that if you cannot explain something simply, you need to revisit your research. This is why I value communication that is practical, direct, kind, and precise.
I believe in empowerment because I am a product of it. I come from a low socio-economic background. Growing up, homeschooled, surrounded by seven brothers and sisters, I was isolated from the world. I had many questions and few answers. My entry into college was the beginning of my own enlightenment. My own freedom. It is my purpose in life to support others in their journey to their own light.
Authentically,
Bethany Studenic