Profile: Jennifer and Matt O'Malley
It Takes Two
At least one alumna can thank Penn GSE’s Education Alumni Association Board President Matt O’Malley GEd’95 for encouraging her to obtain a GSE degree—and that is his wife, Jennifer O’Malley GEd’98.
After graduating from Pepperdine University with a degree in journalism and psychology, and working with autistic children in Philadelphia, Jennifer decided to pursue a master’s degree. She wanted to return to California, but her then boyfriend, now husband, Matt, “kept suggesting Penn,” so she applied to GSE’s psychology services program and is now one of the alumni whom Matt and his board keep connected to the School.
Armed with her master’s degree, Jennifer started a consulting practice to serve autistic children in 1999, and in 2005 she earned the GSE Early Career Award for her work. An independent contractor, she now works through Pennsylvania’s county intermediary units as a behavior analyst who advises teachers and therapists on curriculum development and behavior management for autistic children.
Lauded as a professional, Jennifer admits that she was a timid undergraduate who came into her own at Penn. Thanks to professors who “drew a lot out of [her],” Jennifer was an active participant at GSE, and she continues to be active by supporting such initiatives as the Penn Alexander Book Drive, which donates books to the under-funded Penn Alexander School library.
With a degree in economics from Villanova University, Matt knows that the Penn Alexander Book Drive is a financial godsend, not only for the school, but also for alumni who wish to make a tangible difference in children’s lives. As Matt notes, “giving to Penn can be intimidating,” with large medical grants and business school donations getting publicity, yet $25 can buy a book and bookplate to build a literary legacy.
Unlike Jennifer, Matt was “looking to make a change” after his first job out of college, so he entered GSE’s 18-month-long secondary education program to return to the work force as a teacher. The length seemed right at the time, but as an alumnus, he acknowledges that it makes it harder to foster a tight-knit alumni community.
After two years of teaching, Matt left to become an insurance underwriter, upholding his passion for education through the GSE alumni association. As he sees it, “GSE’s mission is broad in terms of the people who are there and what their goals are.” The School’s programs are diverse, as are the career paths of its alumni, yet there are many ways to come together, including Philadelphia Cares Day, in which alumni and students have participated for the past four years.
Recently, the GSE alumni board invited a student representative to join so that people would “get involved when they still have a connection, versus trying to reconnect.” Twelve years ago Jennifer took Matt’s advice and applied to Penn. He hopes that alumni will take his advice now and apply themselves through the Penn Alexander Book Drive, Philadelphia Cares Day, the annual fund – or find their own niches, as he and Jennifer have.