Kayla Pelland
Associate Director, Career Operations & Education
Kayla oversees the science, technology, and engineering career cluster. Her responsibilities include providing individual and group career coaching to students and recent alumni, organizing career development-related programming for the cluster, and building relationships with campus partners and employers. She has also recently taken on the responsibility of managing the very talented operations team!
Before joining the Career Center team, Kayla was as an academic and career advisor in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Wisconsin鈥揗adison. Kayla graduated from the University of Massachusetts鈥揂mherst with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a minor in Chemistry, and she also has a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Massachusetts鈥揕owell. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time at the beach, exploring new places, and cuddling with her calico cat named Mira.
Conversation Starter:
If she wasn鈥檛 working in higher education, Kayla would be a marine biologist.
Coaching Style:
As a first-generation college graduate and woman in STEM, I have first-hand experience with the challenges of navigating the complexities of higher education and have used this as motivation to work toward creating an environment that is inclusive and equitable for all students. I utilize a holistic, student-centered approach in my work and foster authentic relationships with students to empower them to realize their full potential.
Focus Area:
Science, Technology, and Engineering
