A Bumper Sticker and a Degree. What More Do You Need?
It was her first day in Austin, Texas, and Kirsten Brunner had her speech communication degree and a passion for counseling to prepare her for graduate school and the adventures ahead.
Stopped at an intersection, the back of her pick-up adorned with a Cal Poly sticker, Brunner made her first friend. Unaware of how this bumper sticker was about to change her life, she accepted an invitation to the lake by an Austinite who wanted to welcome the Cal Poly alumna to her new town.
Brunner embraced her new life with the comfort of knowing her time in San Luis Obispo had shaped her, bringing her to exactly where she was supposed to be. In 1996, Brunner graduated with the Outstanding Senior Award distinction. As president of the Speech Communication Honor Society, Lambda Pi Eta; a WOW leader; and a participant in Poly Reps, the London Study Program and the public relations committee for ASI, Cal Poly had given Brunner opportunities to grow and flourish during her undergraduate studies. As hard as it was to say goodbye to the small town, and the mountains and beaches she loved dearly, her future in counseling awaited.
Leaving Cal Poly, Brunner’s dream was to work with children. Graduate school gave her the opportunity to fulfill this dream and work with young victims of abuse and neglect. Although she was passionate about her time with these children, her first career after graduation transformed this dream into something different.
After landing a job at a well-known employee assistance program, Brunner explained, “My focus quickly changed from helping children to partnering with adults and executives.”
Years later, Brunner married the welcoming man who spotted her Cal Poly bumper sticker and invited her to the lake her first fateful day in Austin. The couple worked on starting a family, eventually leading to “two rambunctious boys.”
Like her family, Brunner’s career and dreams continued to change. “When I had my own children, I really wanted to spend more time at home, so I launched my counseling practice. From there I transitioned to working with other parents who were dealing with postpartum issues and parenting stress.”
Today, Brunner is a Licensed Professional Counselor who has been actively providing therapy and life coaching for 17 years. “The amazing thing,” Brunner shared, “I think my career is just hitting its stride, and I’m really starting to have a lot of fun with it.”
Last January, Brunner and her colleague Cheryl Sipkowski launched a blog and workshop series, Baby Proofed Parents, targeting expectant and new parents with a mission to “bring sane to baby brain by providing sanity and relationship strengthening tools that new parents usually don’t get in their childbirth classes.”
Looking back, Brunner recognizes that she cannot only credit Cal Poly with meeting her husband, but that she would not be where she is today without her undergraduate degree in speech communication. She explained that her passion for counseling first began “when I took the Nonverbal and Interpersonal Communication courses. I realized how much I enjoyed figuring out ‘what makes people tick’… As I look back, I now recognize that the Organizational Communication, Public Speaking, and Training and Development courses were also invaluable.”
From Outstanding Senior to wife, mom, therapist, blogger and presenter, Brunner recognizes how her life and her career have overlapped and shaped one another. Her advice to current students: “Your degree is a launching pad. Use your courses to figure out where your passions lie and what you are genuinely good at, and then start applying for jobs from there. Don’t wait for job openings; schedule informational interviews and reach out for introductions and internships.
“Remember that your career is a journey, not a one-stop shop. You will learn, grow and evolve, and your strengths and interests will become clearer as you go along. Give yourself time to develop and build an interesting resume as you figure out what you truly want to do.”