VCU news

By Haley Tenore

Alum, graduate student, employee – Aimee Selleck wears several hats from her ties to Virginia Commonwealth University. And her impact has been noticed both on campus and off.

Selleck, who earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the College of Humanities and Sciences, is working toward a master’s in public administration in the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs and recently completed her national and state certifications as a practicing emergency medical technician. But to current students, Selleck is most known for her work in VCU Career Services.

As student employment manager, Selleck connects students to job opportunities in creative ways, helping them meet the financial needs that college can demand. A recent recognition from ChamberRVA points to the depth of her commitment.

VCU News spoke with Selleck to learn more about her life and career journeys.

You technically came a long way – geographically – to VCU, didn’t you?

I’ve lived in the area since I was 4 but outside the city. Before Richmond, I lived in western Canada as a little one and moved to the States right before starting elementary school here. So, the Richmond region has been home for as long as I can remember.

I often reflect that I didn’t truly know Richmond until I moved here as a student. Before coming back here as a staff member in 2021, after graduating from VCU with my bachelor’s in 2015, I spent the in-between time working for a variety of nonprofits in roles within science education, youth programming, trail conservation, behavioral health services and volunteer coordination.

What does your Career Services role entail?

As the student employment manager, I support access to part-time and seasonal jobs for current students that help them meet their financial needs and other goals. I also manage a free student resource for career clothing called the Suit Yourself Closet alongside an awesome student staff team.

My time is mostly spent helping students “earn while they learn,” as our team says, by managing a few student employment programs and student resources; planning events like job fairs to support access to student employment; connecting with off-campus and on-campus employers who want to recruit Rams for their openings; supporting students seeking employment through workshops and communications; contributing to campuswide efforts to improve the student employment experience for both working learners, or student employees, and their supervisors; and collecting and tracking relevant data to understand the impact of these efforts.

So, someone on campus might run into me at one of our career fairs, a new student orientation breakout session, a pop-up shop for free career clothing or some other training, workshop or event!

Remind us of the big-picture significance of this work.

My job is incredibly rewarding, for sure! Students both need and want employment to support their financial well-being and other goals, such as gaining experience, making connections, developing skills and ultimately supporting their career path — whatever that looks like for them.

The college experience is not affordable for so many students who want to be here. So, many rely on one or multiple part-time jobs and/or paid internships to pay their bills (to survive and to hopefully thrive). I am grateful to support their access to a paycheck, first and foremost.

ChamberRVA recently honored you as Richmond Young Professional of the Year – that’s quite an achievement.

I was both surprised and very honored. I had been nominated by a few team members who collaborated on the submission, and I certainly felt very appreciative of the time and energy that went into the thoughtful effort.

One of the things that I admire about the team I serve on is their interest in uplifting the humans they work alongside and in support of. They love to celebrate one another and show appreciation in intentional ways. Our team supports each other’s goals, development and successes, which makes sense given the focus of our work in career services. So, being nominated for and winning this award certainly affirms the supportive nature of our department and the dedication of colleagues to celebrate each other’s work. For that, I’m grateful.

Take us outside of work and school.

Well, lots of my time outside of work over the past couple of years has been spent getting involved in the world of emergency medical services — whether it was completing VCU’s Emergency Medical Technician Program this past fall semester, volunteering for Goochland County Fire & Rescue, connecting with my sister who works at VCU Health around pre-hospital health care given her EMS background, or most recently preparing to take my national certification exam to become a practicing EMT. I’ve appreciated all this journey so far particularly because of the critical and admirable ways EMS providers support community members in their times of need.

Outside of work and my current EMS endeavors, I’m often spending time with loved ones, doing classwork for my master’s program in public administration out of the Wilder School, trying to learn something new outside of the classroom, exploring something wonderful that the community and landscape always has to offer, wishing I had/made more time for hiking, rock climbing or biking – or dreaming about another adventure to come.