HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCE AREA OF STUDY
FACULTY PASSION FOR OTHERS
and a strong sense of justice led Sociology Instructor Katie Parrish to a career in sociology. Prior to her teaching career, Parrish worked as a counselor as well as a social worker. “It felt powerful to give people a voice who generally aren’t heard,” Parrish said. “As an instructor, I felt I could still give back and be just as passionate.” Describing sociology as the study of why people do what they do, Parrish said it was her job to help students understand the world they are living in. “We all need to be able to advocate for ourselves and others,” Parrish said. “Sociology is really about creating a more knowledgeable society.” The sociological imagination is the one concept Parrish said she hopes her students take with them from her classes. The idea behind the sociological imagination is for one to be able to connect their own personal life and experiences to history as well as structural forces as a whole rather than understanding each as separate aspects.
With more than 192 career opportunities related to sociology, the subject matter could apply to careers such as counselors, police officers, think tank workers, teachers, researchers and more. Parrish said social work is not only a rewarding field, it is in high demand as well. “In social work, you may not always see tangible success,” Parrish said. “But seeing individuals grow and helping them connect to the world around them in a positive way is so rewarding.” Another aspect of her career that Parrish finds rewarding is receiving communications from past students. “My favorite thing to hear is ‘thank you for laying the groundwork for me’,” Parrish said. “I have written tons of letters of recommendation for master’s degrees, and it means a lot that those students value my voice and support. I think that in general community college instructors become more personal with their students.”
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