Campus Celebrity: Stephanie Cerula

This week’s Campus Celebrity is Stephanie from VPAC! Read up about her experiences working with preventing violence on campus. 

HC: Tell us a bit about what you do on campus

I am the Program Coordinator of the Violence Prevention & Action Center at John Carroll University.  At JCU, I create and coordinate prevention education for students, faculty, and staff on interpersonal violence (stalking, dating/domestic violence, and sexual assault).  Examples of programs that I have implemented are bystander intervention programs, healthy relationships, and supporting a survivor of interpersonal violence.  I am a Licensed Professional Counselor which means I also provide counseling and advocacy to students who are survivors of interpersonal violence.

What made you decide to work in this field? 

I graduated from Old Dominion University with a Master’s in Counseling with a focus in College Counseling.  It was through an internship at the YWCA in Norfolk, VA that I was a counselor in training and advocate for survivors of interpersonal violence.  I loved my internship because I was able to provide resources and support to survivors  and wanted to take my knowledge and clinical skills to work on a college campus to be able to provide resources to survivors of violence. 

What is your favorite thing about John Carroll University? 

My favorite thing about John Carroll is the students.  I really enjoy teaching the Peer Health Advocate Course, Advocacy Course for Arrupe Students and advising the Take Back the Night Student Organization.  The students here are unlike any other university I have worked at because of their involvement in service and social justice issues.  Students at JCU truly make a huge impact on our campus and the greater Cleveland community.

What advice could you give for people looking to get involved? 

For students looking to get involved in the work that I do, I would recommend taking the Peer Health Advocate course or joining the Take Back the Night Group.  Students voices are powerful and they can be impactful in helping educate others on our campus on the important topics of healthy relationship, bystander intervention, and interpersonal violence.

And just for fun, what’s your favorite candy? 

Snickers!

Check out Stephanie and the rest of VPAC around campus!