Welcome ETS Students and Parents! My name is Jodi Burns, Outreach Coordinator for the Educational Talent Search Program.
Please allow me to introduce myself. I bring to Talent Search a wide variety of previous experiences. I graduated with an Elementary Education degree from Clarion University in 1991. Instead of teaching right after college, I was offered to coach volleyball at Juniata College. I then returned to Clarion University to coach softball and volleyball for three years. At that point, I became the head volleyball coach at Clarion University for four years while attaining a Masters Degree in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. I then left the coaching arena to spend more time with my growing family. I went back into the classroom, teaching Gifted Education and Reading at North Clarion County School District. Most recently, I accepted a position with Educational Talent Search in 2003. My husband, Joe, and I live in the area and are blessed with five children (Karly, Ellie, Olivia, Jacob and Korrin) ranging in ages from 15 to 4.
The Educational Talent Search program provides wonderful opportunities for students. I feel privileged to work with young people. I have the unique opportunity to empower students as they travel along their journey to achieve their dreams. Through Talent Search, we offer college campus visitations, SAT/ACT preparation, career research, scholarship searches, study skills support, and provide financial aid information to help with the filing of the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) for seniors. ETS offers all this and more, and yet, I believe the best part of Talent Search is the connections that students make with one another and the counselors.
After working with so many young people, I have found that most students are lacking the self-confidence to chase after their dreams. My personal goal as an ETS counselor is to bolster each student's self-assurance, to know that if they believe in themselves, anything is achievable. I think Norman Vincent Peale said it best, "Believe you can, and you can. Belief is one of the most powerful dissolvers. When you believe a difficulty can be overcome, you are more than halfway to victory over it already."
