Virginia Kerrigan

Risk & Prevention, Ed.M. 2000

Virginia Kerrigan Ruehrwein spent eight years in the business field working as a Project Manager in entrepreneurial companies before earning an Ed.M. in Risk and Prevention, Adolescence. Virginia spent her internship at the Edwards Middle School, where she was hired to stay on and run Project GEAR UP. For the next seven years, Virginia served at-risk children and teens and managed programs to prepare urban youth for college entrance. Upon meeting her husband, whose immediate family includes seven military service members, Virginia saw first hand the achievements and challenges that both service members and their families experience. This led to a career focus shift from college access to military family and youth support. Virginia currently works as the Director of Youth and Community Outreach for the San Diego Armed Services YMCA, where she has been running military family support programs as well as special events in the areas of family bonding, social networking, youth development, and health and wellness for the past two years. Most recently, Virginia was featured as an expert on the reunification process in the "Homecoming" episode of intheirboots.com, a website that features weekly real life stories of soldiers, who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and their families. Virginia is also featured on the August 13, 2008 episode to comment on a young military couple with very young children preparing for a deployment.

Virginia credits the Risk and Prevention Program with preparing her to be flexible in a variety of work settings, from urban middle and high schools to non-profit agencies. She also appreciated the program's focus on the importance of making a truly conscious effort to learn about, understand, and build quality relationships with the diverse populations she serves.