Alumna builds rewarding career on human services foundation

An alumna of Penn College’s human services major returned to her alma mater this week to share professional insights with students in the Management and Administration in Human Services class. Amy (Gordon) Wolfhope-Briggs, a 1998 graduate of the college’s first class of bachelor’s degree recipients in the major, is director of student services at BLaST Intermediate Unit #17. Wolfhope-Briggs discussed the IU’s role in the community and the special education programs and services it provides to constituent school districts and eligible children within Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan and Tioga counties. She also answered students' questions regarding administration and management. Wolfhope-Briggs went on to earn a Master of Science degree in speech-language pathology and a special education administration certificate ​from Bloomsburg University. She has a superintendent letter of eligibility and is working on her doctoral degree in educational leadership from Wilkes University. Her career has featured a wide range of professional experiences that enhanced her human services and education-related skills. The HSR 240 class is taught by Elizabeth E. Winder, assistant professor of human services, who advised students that Wolfhope-Briggs is an excellent example of the diversity available with a foundation in human services. “The education I received at the college certainly served me well,” Wolfhope-Briggs said. “I’ve been blessed to have so many varied professional experiences. They’ve all been incredibly valuable. And I was blessed to have the range of exposures students receive in the human services major.”