People of Poe | Mandy Blackmon on Working at the College of Education

Mandy Blackmon has helped human resources function smoothly at the College of Education since April 2015, but she’s no stranger to NC State. Come December 2017, this big-time Wolfpack fan will have worked at NC State for 19 years. Mandy shared with us what it’s like to work full time at the College of Education while balancing her other roles as full-time mother and full-time student.

What is your role at the College of Education?

I’m a human resources specialist, so I do all of the HR-related functions for the Educational Leadership, Policy and Human Development Department, as well as any human resource activities for folk that are paid off of grants, so I also work closely with the College of Education Research Office.

Tell us a little bit about your background.

As of December 1, 2017, I will have worked at NC State for 19 years. I’ve worked in a few different Colleges during that time, doing either human resources or finance. In 2014, I decided to go back to school, so I am also a full-time student at William Peace University in addition to being a full-time employee here in the College of Education. I will graduate this December with a bachelor’s degree. I also have a daughter who is in the third grade.

What do you love about working in the College of Education?

There is a really a great environment here. Out of all the places I’ve worked at NC State, it’s my favorite. I enjoy working on a college campus because I’m surrounded by bright, energetic, young people. I enjoy feeling like I’m helping people. This college has a more laidback feel than other places I’ve worked on this campus, and people seem to genuinely care about other people and other people’s well-being, and it makes it a good environment to be in and it makes me proud to be a part of it.

Why do you think education is important?

I think getting an education is especially in our world’s current political and social climate. For myself personally, I’ve started to work on getting a degree a few times, but things would get in the way. I started to feel like I needed to be constantly learning in order to keep myself energized and motivated. Education is important in keeping you update to date on things. Without a higher education degree, it’s really hard to make a living and care for your loved ones. Education helps you to continue growing.

Who inspires you?

My daughter, Madison. She provided me with the drive and desire to do so many things that I never would’ve done before I had her. I want to be the best mom and role model for her. She thinks it’s really cool that we’re both in school and we both have homework to do, but I try to explain to her that it’s really hard to do school when you’re a mom, so that’s why I will push her to go to college when she’s younger so she can enjoy it and experience the parts of college that I miss out on now at this age in my life. I want her to be able to experience things. She is the greatest thing in my life.