By Sean Savage
@SeanSav13
Everyone has aspirations at a young age, with dreams ranging from becoming a teacher, a pro athlete or an astronaut; the list goes on.
Zooming the proverbial lens into the Finger Lakes of New York, one girl had big dreams.
“I thought I was going to play Division I soccer somewhere,” Janelle Drach, a 2008 Springfield College graduate, said. “I thought I was going to play for North Carolina, but my height and skill level quickly diminished that.”
Despite falling short of her quest to play collegiate soccer for the Tar Heels, Drach eventually find herself 636 miles away in Springfield, Mass.
However, that only came after she completed her undergraduate degree in recreational management at SUNY Cortland. After gaining a few years of experience in the field, she soon realized that getting back into sports administration was her calling.
Through research, Springfield College emerged at the top of her list. She ventured out for an open house visit and was gifted a fantastic opportunity.
“I got to sit down with a professor, Dr. Anne Rothschadl. We just got to talking and had a good conversation,” Drach said. “After meeting with her, I applied to be a graduate assistant within that department.”
And just like that, Drach got paired with Dr. Rothschadl; all the puzzle pieces fell into place.
“That opportunity really solidified that [choice to commit],” Drach said. “It really did support me financially, which was wonderful, and getting to meet her and be on campus, I realized what a great opportunity it would be to be on campus there.”
On top of this, Drach relished how Springfield alums stayed connected with the community after graduating.
Through her studies at Springfield, Drach enjoyed the close-knit relationships with professors. “They were always so kind, open and available,” Drach said. “They always showed so much support with their open door kind of policy.”
After college, Drach gained experience at SUNY Binghamton, working in the intramural and club sports office.
A year later, Drach moved to Geneva, New York, to work as a parks and recreation director. Her responsibilities entailed managing several parks, playgrounds and ice rinks.
She also spearheaded many sports leagues for kids and adults.
“Farmers market, concert series and special events. You name it, we did it,” Drach said.
After a decade in Geneva, Drach moved to Northeastern Pennsylvania, where she is to date. Before her current position, Drach spent four years as an executive director at a local YMCA, which was a full-circle moment tying back to Springfield.
“It was definitely a cool moment in my professional career,” Drach said.
In August, Drach started a new position at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, specifically in its development office. Through her first month as the director of campus development, Drach is still acclimating to the position.
“The main focus of what I do is really the gift officer of scholarships and funds,” Drach said.
Her tasks revolve around matching community members’ or businesses’ philanthropic goals with the needs of their campus.
“I get to go out and meet with people in our community, past donors and community groups trying to match up scholarships,” Drach said. “It is a really cool goal that directly impacts students’ lives.”
Drach works behind the scenes to aid students in obtaining degrees with minimal debt – doing work that seemingly flies over the student’s radar.
Drach has also found donors supporting things like school athletics and science labs. She has reached out to awide array of donors.
“Some of the donors have supported our faculty so that they have the right space and resources to provide excellent education for those students,” Drach said. “Sometimes that also comes with having us do capital campaigns with facilities, making sure things like the student common area or gymnasium are things we can be proud of.”
Drach has a unique role: she brings the Penn State community together through connections with over 750,000 alums while setting up current students with a line of success. Drach considers the work she does to be inspiring.
“Penn State is such a large entity that it is just so impactful – it is mind-blowing,” Drach said.
Drach has gotten to hear several phenomenal stories of why alums decide to give back to Penn State.
“I am just like, ‘Wow, this is amazing!’ We could not do what we do at Penn State without their support,” Drach said. “It has been pretty inspiring learning about all those different pieces to the puzzle that come together.”
What also stands out to Drach is that each day is different from the last.
“I am either working on something different, talking to different people, meeting different folks on campus, and learning the needs of each group,” Drach said. “Learning so much about so many different people has been pretty cool.”
Drach relishes the diversity of being social with community members and finding ways to support them.
“Through all my jobs, I get to provide community members with experiences that make them feel prideful,” Drach said. “It is like, all right, cool, I am doing something that is changing someone’s life in a positive way.”
Looking back, her childhood self, the soccer prospect, would ultimately be proud. “She would be like: ‘Really? Wow, good job Janelle,” Drach said.
The best part of her job is always chasing the full potential that lies ahead of her. “I am continually working and growing, learning as I go,” Drach said.
She also has some advice for the students that she aids in assisting and other collegiate students.
“There is always more you could be doing,” Drach said. “Do not sit in your dorm room and avoid opportunities. Go out and be vulnerable: learn new things, speak to new people and take on more opportunities. You are never going to get your college opportunity again.”
Photo courtesy of Janelle Toner