Professing Peds tells the story of the Department of Pediatrics. It brings life to the “who”—telling stories of the faculty, staff and students that make the Department of Pediatrics so strong. But, diving deeper, these stories tell you the “why”—why they’re here and, more importantly, why they choose to stay.
By: Michelle Williams
I love working in the Department of Peds; being able to support our faculty that provide life-changing research brings me complete joy. I may not do the research, but I can encourage, support, and cheer on our teams that do. My role as Dr. Raghu Mirmira’s assistant has allowed me to work closely with our RCF partners and I have been able to see the impact and benefit their fundraising efforts have on our Center. I love being able to collaborate with them and showcase the research conducted in Wells.
I was born and raised in a small town in Morgan County, Indiana and graduated from Mooresville High School back in 19…..something. My husband Doug and I just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary in April and we have been blessed with three wonderful children. Our daughter, Maddison, is married to Carrigan and has given us two amazing grandbabies – Nora, 5 and Nolan, 2. Matthew will begin his senior year at IUB and will graduate with a degree in Accounting and Finance next May. Our youngest, Jackson, just graduated high school and will begin chasing his photography/video career this summer.
I began my career in banking the summer after my senior year of high school and “retired” as a branch manager when my third child was born. After being a stay-at-home mom and having my own in-home daycare, I was more than ready to re-enter the real world once Jackson went to kindergarten. I became the Assistant Director of our church’s daycare and then, two years later, got offered a job at my kids’ elementary school as an Instructional Assistant. Five years after that, a door was opened in a neighboring school district as the Administrative Assistant in the Counseling Department at their high school. This allowed me to combine two of my very favorite things – admin work and high school kids – while still being able to be mom in the summer and on breaks. I truly loved working in the school systems and am very grateful for how those opportunities provided for my family. However, I always knew that once my children were old enough, I would go back to work full-time; I just had to find the right place to land.
In April of 2016, my friend applied for a job at IUPUI and suggested that it may be a good time for me to start my “big girl job hunt”. I found a receptionist position posted on the website and applied. In May, I interviewed for the receptionist position at the Wells Center for Pediatric Research and began my new career in June. After about three weeks of being in that position, I knew that I needed more than answering the phones and greeting guests! I spoke with our HR specialist and she kept telling me to be patient – those of you that know me may have realized that isn’t exactly my strongest attribute…. Later that summer, Dr. Mirmira’s assistant vacated her spot and I began performing some daily tasks for him. I later interviewed for that position and on October 11, 2016 I began working with Dr. Mirmira full-time – best thing I’ve ever done!
From the bottom up, the Wells Center has the best group of people on campus! Our facilities team is top-notch. Our admin team has truly embraced the team spirit and mentality – they are always willing to help other out. Our lab personnel are some of the nicest folks you will ever find and they truly have a passion for their work. Our faculty members are fantastic and are all working towards the same goal – making a difference in the way childhood diseases are treated/cured. In addition, I have been extremely blessed to work with Dr. Mirmira and I value his mentorship and his friendship greatly. The people that I get to work with every day at Wells have become my family and I really do look forward to coming into work each day.
