I met with Dr. Shawna Cooper-Gibson, Assistant Provost for Student Academic Services at Loyola University Chicago, for an informational interview and learned about her career in the field and advice for new graduates. She supervises the First & Second Year Advising Office. Like many other higher education professionals, Dr. Cooper-Gibson began her career teaching in the K-12 setting, but moved to Boston and it was there she ended up pursuing an Ed.D. in Human Development and Education at MIT. From there, she moved back to Chicago where she has worked at various universities across the city, in many different types of roles. Dr. Cooper-Gibson's career is an example of how common it is to "move out to move up" in higher education. She has worked at institutions including Northwestern University, Loyola University Chicago, and University of Chicago, before coming back to Loyola University Chicago in her present role. Dr. Cooper-Gibson had a lot of insightful advice for me, as I look to continue my career in higher education. First, she advised me on the importance of finding mentors along the way who can serve as friends, advocates, and references. Second, she told me never to get too comfortable in the work that I am doing. Third, she encouraged me to do informational interviews with offices or universities where I am interested in working. Fourth, she advised me to always negotiate my salary when I start a new position. She said that women tend not to negotiate, while men are more likely to advocate for themselves in this way. She suggested doing research and being prepared to negotiate, even if it's with professional development, because once you are in a position in higher education it is very difficult to move up. Something that suprised me most from my conversation with Dr. Cooper-Gibson was the fact that she talked about many personal and family experiences that have played into the choices she makes. My current supervisors do not have children and rarely talk about family or work-life balance, so it was encouraging to hear a woman in leadership talk openly about the career choices she made and makes as a mother. Having the opportunity to meet one-on-one with Dr. Cooper-Gibson was one of the highlights of my internship experience and gave me a lot of encouragement in my work and job-search.