Sarah Daly

Assistant Professor, Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA

Assistant Professor of Criminology, Law, and Society at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe

Mentorship through #AcademicTwitter: Finding a home in criminology

When I accepted my first academic job as an assistant professor of criminology, I packed up my home and left my friends and family to begin a new chapter of my life 250 miles away. The new position came with challenges, but it was also difficult to grapple with the loneliness I was feeling. My colleagues in the department were supportive and collegial, administrators and my peers and at the college were welcoming. But, at the end of the week, I was alone.

When academics encounter a challenge, we face it head on

I check in with students via email, host Zoom office hours, and talk on the phone with them, but the organic nature of those connections feels strained and frantic now. This isn’t tending to a garden full of budding minds; this is putting out little fires every day.

Am I good enough: From high school teacher, to counselor, to assistant professor

I wonder if I’ll always feel anxious, jealous, tired, and insufficient even amid professional success or notable accomplishments. I imagine myself in ten years and am sure that I’ll still probably feel the drive to do more and do better, because that’s how I’ve been wired since middle school. And then I think if I’m exhausted now at 35, how will I do this for the rest of my career? Then the mountain gets higher and steeper, and I’m tired all over again (Netflix, here I come!).