MEDIA, Pa. — Desiré Forman joined Penn State Brandywine as the assistant director of residence life in September. Coming from Swarthmore College, Forman is looking forward to connecting with the students, faculty and staff on campus.
Forman received two associate’s degrees in psychology and education, a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in counseling in the educational setting from Rowan University. Upon graduating, she worked in residence life at Rowan before transitioning to Swarthmore College as an area coordinator. Now at Brandywine, Forman chose to work at the campus because it’s close to home and has a small campus feel.
“Before I started my role at Swarthmore, I was offered a residence coordinator position at University Park. I turned it down, though, because I was offered the area coordinator position at Swarthmore around the same time,” she said.
“When I decided to transition out of my previous role, I was looking for positions that were local, but Penn State was always in the back of my mind because I had such a great interview process with University Park. Brandywine just felt like the best of both worlds — a small campus that’s close to home while also being a part of Penn State.”
In terms of her goals, Forman said she wants to focus on building relationships with students.
“Because I’m in the residence hall, I want to create a safe, inclusive environment where students can learn how to navigate adulthood. I really want to focus on the relationship-building piece with students,” she said.
Outside of work, Forman enjoys reading, going to the beach, trying new restaurants and hanging out with family and friends. She also has a corgi, Athena, who lives with her in Orchard Hall.
“I frequently walk around campus with Athena, so folks might see her as we’re walking by. She has her good and bad days, because she’s a rescue, but if she’s up for it, the Brandywine community can feel free to say ‘hi’ to her if they see her around campus.”