with Joan Kanner
Born:
Livingston, N.J.
Resides:
Clifton
Education:
B.A., psychology and Spanish, May 2000, Montclair State University
M.A, child and adolescent clinical psychology, May 2003, Montclair State
University
Favorite pastimes:
Writing poetry, dancing and cooking
Favorite dance music:
'80s pop (i.e. "Karma Chameleon" by Culture Club)
Favorite television chef:
Alton Brown
Cooking specialty:
Chocolate chip pudding cookies
There is a youthful enthusiasm about Joan Kanner that shines
through when she talks about her culinary interest or her love of the
job she does at Montclair State.
After earning a bachelor's degree in psychology and Spanish in May 2000,
Joan returned to the University a year ago to pursue a graduate degree
and become the program assistant for the new Center for Child Advocacy.
In addition to serving as liaison between the students and professors,
Joan helps organize the distance learning courses in which students at
Burlington County College take class simultaneously with students at Montclair
State.
Despite her many tasks, you'll rarely find Joan behind closed doors. "I
always have my door open," she said. "Students will come to
me with problems and I can say, 'I've been through this before. Let me
hold you by the hand and walk you through the process.' I want to do my
part now and pay it forward."
The child advocacy certificate program began in 1999 and is the only one
of its kind in the state. It is designed to offer students a multidisciplinary
understanding of the role of the child advocate as seen through the disciplines
of law, sociology and psychology. Courses prepare students to work in
a variety of settings such as child placement review offices, community
mental health centers and other facilities where a child's welfare is
concerned.
In the time Joan's been with the center, she's seen the certificate program
grow by leaps and bounds. "It started with mostly workers from the
state's Division of Youth and Family Services," she explained, "but
there are so many others showing an interest. Lately, the people I've
seen come in are looking for a change in career. They've had it with board
meetings or doing telemarketing and they want to do something more meaningful.
This is the perfect place for them to get started." Joan credits
the program's success to the entire faculty and staff, and program Director
Robert McCormick. "He's a great ideas person so it's exciting to
work with somebody so energetic."
Despite her hectic schedule--balancing a full-time job and graduate classes--Joan
manages to keep all the balls in the air and a smile on her face. "My
secret is you just don't think about it," she said. "You can
get caught up in it and it seems so stressful. You just have to manage
your time. It's amazing. The more you have to do, the better organized
you get."
She does manage, however, to make time for one of her favorite hobbies--cooking.
"I just love it," she said. "It's a great stress reliever,
and I admit I'm obsessed with the Food Network."
But her true passion is psychology. "I would absolutely love to be
a clinical psychologist. Part of me wants to do private practice, but
I'd also like to do work for people of lower economies," she said.
"It's unfortunate people can't get the help they need because of
money issues."
Joan believes all her experiences at Montclair State will guide her in
the future. "My job is so incredibly fascinating and I love Montclair
and the campus," she said. "Working with such a varied staff
of professors and seeing how they do things is inspiring."