Emily Opalski

My career with DePaul University began in 1991, when I enrolled as a part-time undergraduate student – the first person in my family ever to do so. I worked full-time in the banking industry at the time, so it took about six years to complete the Bachelor’s Degree (in 1997). During those undergraduate years, I experienced the mission and vision of DePaul University through the professors who worked diligently to ensure that their students received the attention and direction required for a successful education. DePaul’s culture of caring and committing to issues of social justice and service to the community was attractive to me, and I hoped to someday contribute to it by working here.

One week prior to graduation, I was hired as Training and Communications Manager in Human Resources at DePaul. Part of the role I played in Human Resources included developing and delivering management and leadership programs for the DePaul population. Through this experience, I learned about the perception that many managers and other employees had of Vincentian Personalism. It was an unusual experience to hear so many employees speak of the mission of the institution and to know that they were trying to explore, understand, embrace and live it.

Knowing that I would someday return to DePaul, I left after three and a half years to pursue and further enrich my knowledge and experiences in Human Resources.

Several years later (2004), I was hired into the Office of Institutional Compliance (OIC) as a Quality Assurance Trainer.  Initially, I was charged with designing and delivering compliance-related training courses and meeting one-on-one with managers to review their compliance with DePaul’s management standards.  In this capacity I worked collaboratively with managers to remedy the deficiencies we identified in their implementation of new policies and standards. 

In 2005, I was promoted to Director of OIC. OIC’s role within the university is to oversee institutional compliance. We accomplish this through helpful means such as coaching, training, trouble-shooting, hand-holding and providing feedback.

I enrolled in the College of Communication as a graduate student and completed a Masters Degree in Multicultural Organizational Communication in 2010. This experience reinforced my commitment to DePaul and to my belief that the culture at DePaul is one that exhibits its deep concern for students and that sets high standards and holds students accountable as the best way to prepare them for the world of work.

Having worked in several environments within and outside of DePaul, I have witnessed many diverse organizational cultures. DePaul’s culture is very unique in many ways.
There are few organizations that can boast of a culture that is both strong and positive. DePaul is one of those organizations. Management and employees at DePaul espouse the Vincentian Mission and abide by it. This translates into better understanding and treatment of students as well as the provision of richer learning experiences for them that can have a positive impact on their lives and the communities to which they return after DePaul.

As a double demon and first generation college student as well as a long-term DePaul employee, I believe that maintaining our identity as a Catholic, Vincentian institution is critical to forwarding the mission of Vincent DePaul, and I welcome the chance to be involved in that to the extent that I can. I believe that every opportunity I have to contribute to the mission at DePaul will enhance my commitment to the university and to the community which we serve. The Vincentian Mission Institute experience is an invitation to grow by learning about the ways in which to best contribute to the mission of DePaul University, and I am excited to be a part of it.