COVINA DUNNIHOO

My name is Covina Dunnihoo! This is my 5th year at Central and I am majoring in Nutrition with a minor in Exercise Science. I am originally from Federal Way, but now consider Ellensburg to be my home. This is my second year with Career Services; however it is my first year as a Peer Advisor. It has been great learning how to help students and building friendships with the other Peer Advisors. Other than work and school, I am very involved with a Christian group on campus called Fuel. I like to be outdoors and go on grand adventures, I like to travel (although that happens rarely), I love sports especially football, I eat lots of food, and love photography. I am a very social person and love to interact with others. Working for Career Services has provided me with the opportunity to work with a wide range of people and gain lots of experience. 

Overall I have liked all of my jobs, but the one that I had the biggest issues with was a Childcare/Preschool. I absolutely love kids. I started babysitting when I was 11 and have worked with kids in childcare settings many times. The Preschool I worked for my senior year of high school was fun, but short lived. I loved my kids, but there were many state rules that were broken in the short time I was there. I was 17 when I worked there, so I was not supposed to be alone with the children and I was alone almost daily. There is also a ratio of 7 children to 1 teacher for toddlers and on many occasions I was alone in a classroom of 10 one year olds. My biggest fear was someone reporting the violations and my reputation being tainted. I tried to kindly voice my concerns, but after 3 months of no change I had to put in my resignation. 

I honestly cannot pick a favorite job. I have liked all of my jobs and it has been hard to move on from each one of them when the time has come. I feel so blessed to have my job here at Career Services. Along with Peer Advising, I also assist the Employer recruitment/Event Coordinator. I get to interact with many employers and assist in the planning and implementing of Career Fairs. Both of these jobs have given me so much more knowledge and experience that I never could have imagined before now. Career Services is a great resource to all students and wherever I go I try to encourage students to come see us. We would love to see you!

JOETTE DUNNIHOO

I am a junior at Central Washington University. I came to Ellensburg from Federal Way, WA and am majoring in Music Education with a choral specialization. When I graduate, my plan is to become a high school choir director at a low income school.

Music is definitely a great passion of mine, but it is not my only one. I also love to meet new people, socialize (a lot), and do almost anything that is team oriented. I love sports, though I tend to be better at just watching and commentating, and I love staying active through running, hiking, and playing volleyball.

I am very excited to be working here at the Career Services on campus as it greatly resembles my favorite previous job as a writing consultant. When I was in community college I worked as a writing consultant in the Writing Center and got so spend my hours talking with and helping people to improve their writings. Working at the Career Services gives me even more opportunities to help my peers through one-on-one conversation and team work.

CORI MONTGOMERY

I am a senior at Central Washington University and I'm majoring in Family and Consumer Sciences Career and Technical Education. I am extremely passionate about the work in Career Services and plan on teaching high school students about career development, professionalism, and life skills. Besides working at Career Services and taking classes, I love to meet new people, go camping, snowmobiling, play sports and exercise, and be with those who support and love me.  In five years from now, I hope to have received a FCS teaching job at a high school and start considering obtaining a Master’s degree in Counseling or School Counseling.  Although I think teaching would be an amazing career to have, I am also interested in eventually becoming a Career Counselor so maybe I could do both careers at once!

My favorite job would be working at Career Services. I worked at the Career Services Center at Western Washington University where I gained my initial experience and training in peer advising. After two years at Western, I decided to transfer to Central Washington University where I was hired on at Career Services and became a peer advisor. So far, I feel that the experiences while working at CWU’s Career Services have been very rewarding as well as informational. Working at Central’s Career Services Center has been an amazing experience especially when surrounded with people who are passionate about helping students, alumni and community members!

LINDSAY MONTGOMERY

I am currently a junior at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, WA.  I was born and raised on Oahu, HI and moved to Washington to pursue a higher education in a relatively unknown field.  My major in Family Studies allows me to partake in courses about communication and family dynamics in hopes of someday becoming a family therapist, a chemically dependent rehabilitator, or a correlation of the two.  

I am very involved in school; however, during any free time I have many different interests.  I am content watching any sport, but my favorite sports are soccer and football.  I thoroughly enjoy watching both sports, and playing soccer as well.  I also enjoy surfing when I’m back home, along with my new found interest in snowboarding when I’m in Washington.  I love all types of music ranging from Hank Williams Jr. to Immortal Technique. Jesus is another passion of mine, and I also always enjoy working with children.

Any career that involves assisting people is one that I enjoy.  I am an advocate for helping those in need and I am grateful for the opportunity that Peer Advising allows while working with my peers.  I feel that working alongside people allows me to strengthen my social skills while also allowing me to expand my interpersonal communication and relational dyadic skill sets.

BOBBI PADILLA

I’m a junior here at CWU; I plan on graduating with a BA in Psychology and an AA in Communications. After I receive my degrees here I’m going to move to California where I then plan on going to graduate school and receiving my PhD in Psychology. With my doctrine I intend to become a psychologist and start my life in California. I want to become a psychologist because I like listening to people. If people feel like they have no one to talk to I want them to come to me, besides sometimes it’s better to lay out your feelings to a complete stranger, there’s less judgment.  

Some of my hobbies include listening to music, playing/ watching sports, and hanging out with family and friends. My favorite singer is The Weeknd; he is playing in my headphones every day. My favorite sport to play is softball but my favorite sports to watch are football and basketball. My favorite football team is the NY Jets, and my favorite basketball team is the Boston Celtics. Family and friends are a big part of my life; they make it a little bit more special every day.

Being a peer advisor is my first job and I have to say so far I enjoy it very much. Any job that allows me to help others with my own experience and knowledge is an ideal job for me. A not so ideal job for me would be working with children. They are so hyper and undisciplined, that is hard to be around when I have no patience. That is probably why I do not intend to become a mother, at least until I can develop some patience. Until that time I’m going to stick with helping others who are my age or older, that is my comfort zone. I think that is why I enjoy this job so far, I get to work with people around my age and it allows me to work on my communication skills.

COURTNEY RIDDLE

My name is Courtney Riddle.  I am a senior this year and I am majoring in social services. After I graduate this spring I will ideally be heading to graduate school at either the University of Washington or Eastern to get my MSW. There is a lot I’d like to do career-wise including working for Child Protective Services,  working as a parole officer, and eventually opening up my own halfway house.  

I am very independent and like to work in an environment where I can monitor myself and  accomplish things in a way that allows for creativity and sometimes unorthodox methods. This is part of the reason why I wanted to become a peer advisor; the ability to work alone was there and there was also an emphasis on originality and the general sentiment that different is a good thing. I also find the opportunity to have a career to be a very important one. Motivation to pursue career related goals is in no short supply for me so helping others in their pursuit of a career is definitely a passion.

As for the fun stuff, I love to sing and am involved in several choirs here at Central. I guess I have never really gave up on my dream of being a jazz singer. I love jazz music and enjoy other types of older music as well. A few favorites are Frank Sinatra, Jim Croce, Simon & Garfunkel, Elvis, & Otis Redding.