Every person in the GW Engineering community contributes to the fabric and the culture of what makes us great and unique. As an institution of higher education, we often celebrate the achievements of our students and staff. However, without the tireless work of the GW Engineering administrative team, nothing would be possible. From our facilities, to our technology, to supporting our events, the administrative team at GW Engineering keeps our school moving forward. Each month we will highlight one of the members of the admin team in our Local Hero editorial feature. Take the time to meet the people who are at the foundation of our school.
Brittany Wright is the Executive Director of Graduate Enrollment Management & Advising, but she is also so much more! Read below to learn more about March's Local Hero, Brittany Wright! :
Q: How long have you been working at GW and what is your position?
A: I am the Executive Director of Graduate Enrollment Management & Advising at SEAS. I began working at the Office of Graduate Admissions & Student Services (OGA) at SEAS as a coordinator back in December of 2010 and became a director in 2015.
Q: What led you to this career?
A: Prior to starting my position at SEAS, I graduated with my M.A. in International Education from GSEHD. Due to my own transformative international experience as a college student, I knew I wanted to work either in study abroad or with international students, ideally facilitating international experiences and opportunities for students. With the growing number of international graduate students joining SEAS at that time, my first job with the OGA was a perfect fit!
Q: Why did you choose GW?
A: I was drawn to GW initially due to the location and I’ve stayed for so long due to the opportunities I’ve had to evolve and grow my career.
Q: What is one thing you wish you’d known when you started working at GW?
A: Prior to working here, I wish I knew just how big and decentralized GW was, especially at the graduate level.
Q: What is your favorite part about working at GW Engineering?
A: Not to sound cliché, but the people. I love being a part of a smaller community within a larger university and being able to interact with senior leadership, staff, students, and faculty on a regular basis.
Q: Why would someone want to work at GW Engineering?
A: I’ll reiterate the response to the previous question, it’s the people and the impact we have on the community, DC, and the world.
Q: What is your biggest work pet peeve?
A: The timing of when the custodial staff cleans the bathrooms on the 2nd floor of the SEH…they have a tendency to close the bathrooms right before I’m going into a meeting, forcing me to walk to a different floor to use the bathroom. It forces me to get some more steps in for the day so I guess that’s a good thing!
Q: What’s your ideal way to spend the weekend?
A: My ideal weekend would include brunching with friends, playing tennis, taking my dog to the dog park, and watching a Formula 1 race.
Q: What’s one of your favorite memories from the past year?
A: I had the opportunity to attend a couple World Cup games this year in Qatar and that was an amazing experience!
Q: Tell us something people don't know about you.
A: Some of my colleagues are aware of this, but I am slightly obsessed with Formula 1 racing. I was a multi-sport athlete and played volleyball in college, so Formula 1 is the perfect combination of two of my passions, sports and traveling.
Q: Do you have any pets?
A: I have a 2.5 year old Maltipoo named Nico (yes, he's named after a famous F1 driver). He loves to steal socks and hide under my couch.