Why did you initially apply to work at CU?

Well it’s kind of funny. My husband, he graduated from CU Boulder. He got a job and moved to Minnesota. We met there, got married and he knew that he wanted to move back to Colorado. But since I was in Minnesota and all my friends and relatives were there, I did not want to move back here. But then this position came up and after reading the description, it sounded really interesting. So I thought, “I’ll give it a shot. Who knows?” And I did. Got the job and here I am.

Tell me about what you do.

Well I’m a Manager of Reporting Systems as my title says, so what I do is I work with an IBM  report developing software from IBM to develop reports across the CU system. People use excel to develop their monthly or annual reports, so we replace that with Cognos. This lets them put in their prompts or input their departments, FOPs, etc. and get their reports immediately. We develop reports for the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Boulder, Anschutz, Denver and System - so pretty much everybody around the campuses and system.

Tell me about your favorite project you’ve completed.

The really good part about this job is I get to meet people in person and or over the phone and actually interact with them, get the report request, then actually do the work. Each individual report request is a project in itself, which I have enjoyed doing so far.

What is the best part of your workday?

I like to think that I am making a difference in people’s lives. There is a report I’m developing right now for a person who usually develops his own reports in Excel and he distributes them to 100 or 100-plus people. With the project I’m doing right now, he said it would save him about two weeks’ worth of work. So I feel like I’m making a difference and when I communicate with users like that, it makes me feel special.

When I go talk to a manager and he tells me, “You made this report and the users love them,” that makes me motivated. Obviously, the people I work with make a huge difference. If you like what you do and you’re passionate about it, it makes a huge difference. And I love everything about this job.

What do you enjoy most about living in Colorado?

I live north closer to Boulder. I just like the vibe and going to Boulder and just the laid-back kind of attitude of people, the overall nature and being able to go explore things.

Do you have a favorite neighborhood location?

I do like that 16th Street Mall is right there. After work, I can just walk down there and just browse, do window shopping or whatnot. I like that, especially in the summer. There are people performing or just sitting around chatting, and I just like that vibe.

What do you like to do on your spare time?

I’m fairly new to Colorado still, so me and my husband – he’s been here longer than I have – we just like going around exploring things. Going hiking sometimes, I recently picked that up. Hiking has been a big thing for me lately and just exploring the mountains or driving around. You could do that in Minnesota but the weather is so crappy, you could only do that in like four months in summer and then it’s so humid. But you can do that here in Colorado, just go around exploring hiking and whatnot. It’s just been really adventurous and fun.

Do you have a favorite perk or benefit of working at CU?

For me, it’s really good compared to other companies I’ve worked for. The Tuition Waiver Benefit is great. I took two courses last semester, and I didn’t have to pay a dime. That was just unreal for me. If you have kids or a dependent, they can use those 9 credits for free, which is awesome. And the retirement at CU is unreal. I’ve worked at private companies before, and we never got that. That is something I was thrilled about. I have insurance with CU Health Plan – Kaiser, and its great compared to other companies I’ve worked for.

What is your one piece of advice for someone interested in working at CU?

The opportunities at CU are endless; they’re unique. If you want to work for an organization that is invested in professional development of their employees, an organization that’s committed to serving the community where they are, apply at CU. This is a place where people are ambitious and driven, and who like to be challenged constantly. I’ve met people around here who have been with CU their entire career, and they simply love working for CU, so they are motivated, their positions are challenging and integral within the organization, which is a big thing for me. So if you’re that person, this is the organization for you.