Kibbeh. Spanikopita. Tabouleh. These are a few of Amy's favorite things.
Meet Amy Kaple, verification specialist in the financial aid office at Ohio Wesleyan. She likes Lebanese food, helping others, and her job at OWU.
Still a relative newbie, Kaple joined the OWU staff in April 2008. Her previous work experience includes 13 years at PPG and seven years at Kaiser Aluminum in Newark, Ohio. Kaple, who has a bachelor's degree from Penn State in business logistics, was the materials manager at Kaiser. "It was an operations planning and scheduling position," she says. "Our primary goal was customer satisfaction."
Kaple liked her job at Kaiser, but the verification specialist position at OWU caught her attention. "OWU is much closer to home, and it is very well thought of in the community. Also, I really loved going to school when I was in college. I wanted to return to an environment that encourages learning."
She is taking full advantage of that opportunity to learn; Kaple is currently taking Kim Dolgin's adolescent psychology class. "I've always been interested in psychology and sociology. If I were to start my career again, that's probably what I would study. I like to help people."
Kaple has a chance to help others every day in the financial aid office. She spends much of her time verifying information on FAFSA forms, but she also gets to interact with students. "Working with students breaks up the day - it's definitely one of the high points of my job."
When Kaple isn't at work, she enjoys helping people through her church's food pantry. She and her husband of 20 years, Larry, enjoy walking every day and playing with their Weiner dog, Skeeter. Kaple's grandmother was Lebanese, and she enjoys eating and occasionally preparing Lebanese dishes. "I like stuffed grape leaves, which are rolled with lentils and rice," she says. "I've made kibbeh, which is ground lamb meat mixed with ground beef and bulgar wheat. You bake it and then eat it in very small bites; it's very good."
Back to her job at OWU, Kaple says she's very happy about the positive atmosphere in her office. "Everyone is willing to work together. They have been more than willing to help train me and show me the ropes. We support each other and I am impressed with all of the celebrations! You don't find this kind of positive environment in every work place. I pinch myself every day, because I feel very blessed to be here at Ohio Wesleyan."
Posted 01/15/09 to www.NASFAA.org. Posting of press releases is done as a service to Members and does not imply endorsement or support by NASFAA. NASFAA does not review this information for content or accuracy.
