Dear Students,
I was meeting on Zoom last week with Jonathan Rust, a friend and colleague who is a Professor at SUNY New Paltz and who directs the Spring group relations conference each year at TC. We started the Zoom call with a little catching up. He told me his mom just celebrated her 95th birthday. She was doing well but he worried about how much time he had left with her given her advanced age. I shared that I had been to three funerals in the span of a month and that they were all sad and difficult. We agreed that death, well, it sucks. We also talked about trying to reduce our news consumption, that current headlines were often depressing and paralyzing. As we chatted, my phone started blowing up with texts about the impending snowstorm.
I said, “Jonathan, I’m sorry, my phone is distracting me. In one of my group chats, my friends are freaking out about the snow.”
Jonathan burst out laughing. “Sarah,” he said, “We can handle the snow! Death, we cannot handle. The state of the world? No. But, the snow??? THAT, we can manage.”
I started giggling too and the two of us laughed even harder until we both had to wipe our eyes and catch our breath.
Jonathan’s laughter was a reality check. It reminded me to right-size my anxiety. While we often feel powerless in the face of grief or global headlines, we aren’t powerless in the face of a Tuesday morning commute or a mounting to-do list. He reminded me to hold onto my agency. I can’t control the world, but I can certainly handle the snow.
We will all face challenges this semester: the "not enough hours in the day" feeling, the weight of a heavy reading load, or the quiet anxiety of a job search. These things are real, and they are taxing. Yet, you have proven time and again that you can manage a lot, A LOT. More importantly, you don't have to manage it in isolation. Please know that we have a strong and kind learning community here and that all of us, S-OP staff, faculty, and your fellow students are here to remind you of your agency and capability whenever you need it.
Welcome and welcome back to all of you. We are looking forward to a great semester of working, learning, and laughing together. The cold and snow will eventually recede and NYC is gorgeous in the springtime. We’ll get there.
Warmly,
Current Student Profile
Luke is a graduate student in the Social-Organizational Psychology M.A. program at Teachers College, Columbia University and a member of the Eisenhower Leader Development Program (ELDP). He brings a decade of experience as an Army officer, having served in a wide range of leadership and command roles across combat, operational, and strategic environments. Luke earned a Bachelor of Arts in U.S. History from the University of Arkansas and commissioned through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.
Throughout his military career, Luke has held key leadership positions, including Commander of Headquarters Support Company in the 82nd Airborne Division, Commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Battery for the 3-319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment (AFAR), Battalion Logistics Officer for 2-319th AFAR, and Department of State Contract Officer Representative and Military Liaison to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. His deployments include Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, as well as service in Eastern Europe as part of the United States Immediate Response Force to the Ukrainian conflict.
Luke’s military awards and qualifications include the Combat Action Badge, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal with Combat Device and three Oak Leaf Clusters, Operation Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal with two Campaign Stars, Parachutist Badge, and Senior Jumpmaster designation. These experiences shaped his interest in leadership under pressure, organizational culture and change strategy.
At Teachers College, Luke is particularly passionate about coaching, mentoring, and adult development. He values the program’s emphasis on diagnosing organizational conflict and motivating teams to excel through inclusive, data-driven methods. Upon graduation, Luke will serve as a Tactical Officer (TAC) at the United States Military Academy, where he will support cadet development across academic, military, physical, and character domains.
Outside of school and work, Luke’s greatest source of support is his wife, Lexi. Together, they enjoy life in New York City with their dogs, Rocky and Cash. Luke enjoys skiing, snowboarding, running, walking the dogs in Riverside Park, and exploring the city’s theaters and restaurants.
Alumni Profile
Chelsea is a May 2022 graduate of the Social-Organizational Psychology M.A. program. A New Jersey native, she earned her B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she spent a year abroad in South Africa studying and teaching primary school children at an eco-village. This formative experience sparked her passion for travel and cross-cultural understanding, ultimately leading her to spend two years teaching English in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
After returning to the United States, Chelsea took on an administrative role at a hedge fund in New York City which inspired her to formally merge her interests in psychology and business through the Social-Organizational Psychology M.A. program.
Since graduating, Chelsea has worked as a Change Management Consultant, leading large-scale transformation initiatives for Fortune 500 companies. During her two years at KPMG, she developed and executed comprehensive change management and training strategies across industries including retail, pharmaceuticals, and law. This past year, she transitioned to join a former client, Sanofi, a French pharmaceutical company, where she now sits within the global strategic HR function, focusing on change management, strategic workforce planning, and organizational design.
Outside of her professional work, Chelsea enjoys traveling, discovering new music, promoting her brother’s band, and listening to comedy podcasts.
Chelsea is a May 2022 graduate of the Social-Organizational Psychology M.A. program. A New Jersey native, she earned her B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she spent a year abroad in South Africa studying and teaching primary school children at an eco-village. This formative experience sparked her passion for travel and cross-cultural understanding, ultimately leading her to spend two years teaching English in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
After returning to the United States, Chelsea took on an administrative role at a hedge fund in New York City which inspired her to formally merge her interests in psychology and business through the Social-Organizational Psychology M.A. program.
Since graduating, Chelsea has worked as a Change Management Consultant, leading large-scale transformation initiatives for Fortune 500 companies. During her two years at KPMG, she developed and executed comprehensive change management and training strategies across industries including retail, pharmaceuticals, and law. This past year, she transitioned to join a former client, Sanofi, a French pharmaceutical company, where she now sits within the global strategic HR function, focusing on change management, strategic workforce planning, and organizational design.
Outside of her professional work, Chelsea enjoys traveling, discovering new music, promoting her brother’s band, and listening to comedy podcasts.