for saylor blogGood afternoon! Next up in our series of Staff Snapshots, we catch-up with our Recruiting Coordinator, Casey Holmes!

Hello, Casey!

Hi there.

So why don’t you start with telling us a little bit about yourself?

Sure thing. I grew up in Darnestown, Maryland (population 6,500) on what used to be a farm (despite this, my parents never bought me a horse like I asked). I’m mostly vegetarian and don’t eat crab cakes, but I do really love football. I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in International Studies and double minors in Biology and French. I immediately turned into a southerner who uses the word “y’all.” I am lucky enough to work remotely for Saylor, so now I get to live in Raleigh, North Carolina. I spend my free time running, playing soccer, watching Carolina basketball, volunteering at an animal shelter, wearing cowboy boots, and coaching a girls’ rec soccer team.

Wow, even though we miss you up here in DC, it sounds like you keep yourself busy down south! So being down there, how’d you come to Saylor?

Even though I now live in Raleigh, I actually did get my start with Saylor in the DC area. When I graduated from college, I thought that I wanted to pursue veterinary school. As an International Studies major I didn’t exactly have the scientific qualifications they were looking for, so after an awesome internship at a tiger rescue facility in NC, I made my way back to Maryland to work at a vet’s office and get going on the pre-requisite science classes I would need to apply to school. About six months into working as a veterinary technician, I decided that I did not, in fact, want to be a veterinarian. (I’m sure my parents were thrilled by my indecision.) After some serious soul-searching and experimenting with life in the 9-5 corporate cubicle world, I decided that what I really wanted to do was pursue my other passion – education. I was lucky enough to be offered a position with Saylor, and, almost one year and several zip codes later, here I am.

That’s wonderful! We are glad that your love for education brought you to Saylor! So what is your typical day like at work?

I am one of three Recruiting Coordinators for Saylor, which means that I handle much of the outreach we do in terms of recruiting professors to create and review our courses. A typical day for me consists mainly of sifting through an often perilously-full inbox, detailing our various positions and their associated requirements, and evaluating CVs. I am in contact with professors, as well as our own content development team, as we determine who will be the best fit for the particular projects that we have on the menu. My favorite part of my job is having the opportunity to speak with so many different individuals from all over the world. Each professor brings a unique perspective to the work, and it’s fascinating both to hear their stories and see how so many professors are already incorporating some degree of online learning into their own courses at traditional institutions.

Cool, that sounds like a lot of fun, it must be really interesting to hear the different stories of various potential consultants. Are there courses that you would like to recommend to our readers?

I recently started working on HIST 211, which is the first of a two course sequence on U.S. History. So far, so good. I’d also like to eventually tackle Business courses and some of the English electives.

Interesting! Our HIST major has a nice mix of perspectives from around the world. Now, let’s move onto the fun questions, are you ready?

Fire away.

Ok, here we go! Having wanted to go to vet school for a little while, do you have any pets?

I grew up with a border collie named Tucker, who is awesome and just turned 15. I drove up from NC to be able to celebrate his birthday with him and bring him treats. He’s grumpy and old and doesn’t like to cuddle, but he still gets really excited when I come home to visit. My family texts me pictures about twice a week of him doing dog things – mostly sleeping. It’s the best.
My roommate in Raleigh has a 2 year old husky, who is almost as cool as Tucker. You know those Youtube videos of that talking husky who says “I love you?” She does that. Apparently she’s also somehow related to the dog in those videos.

Nice, I’ve always wanted a dog. It’s great to hear there are other fellow dog lovers out there. Now into the realm of fantasy:  If you were a LOTR/Harry Potter character – which one would you be?

Two of my favorite series, how did you know? Can I pick one from both?

Sure, go for it!

Okay, great. In LOTR I would be Legolas, because then I would always look perfect and never get dirty. Just kidding – I’d be Legolas for that awesome trick he does with the Oliphant in the third movie. If I were a Harry Potter character (which is my dream, by the way), I would probably be Ginny. She can hang with the boys and hold her own, and she’s really good at Quidditch.

Great, I can really see that love for sports in your descriptions! Ok, now for our last fun question, what is your proudest moment?

I’m glad you asked, because it sort of involves Saylor. I have loved Georgetown Cupcake for a long time. It’s a cupcake boutique just a few blocks from Saylor’s HQ in DC. At the end of my senior year of college, when I was supposed to be studying for finals, I opened Facebook and Georgetown Cupcake had just posted a trivia question about the owners (what age they were when they started baking with their grandmother, if you want to know). The first person to answer the question correctly would win a free dozen cupcakes. I googled the question (Google seriously knows everything), and I was the second person to respond, but the first person’s guess was incorrect. Two days later, a pink box arrived on my doorstep in North Carolina. One of the top five best days of my life, and I am still insanely proud of my speed googling.

Nice work on the speed googling! What a delicious way to celebrate! Last question: anything you want to say to our readers before we sign off?

In the words of Julia Child: a party without cake is just a meeting. More related: Read! Early and often.