By Nicarlyle Hanchard / Jambar Contributor
Stacey Adger, a Youngstown State University alumna and dispatcher for the YSU Police Department, is one of many college graduates who’ve not been defined by their major.
Among her numerous career achievements, Adger is a renowned baker. She said time management is key to balancing all her roles.
“You make time for things that are important. I like baking because that is a de-stressor for me,” Adger said. “You see a lot of things in law enforcement — and in life — and you need to find an outlet. For me, that outlet is baking.”
Adger said baking is one way she gives back to her family and community.
“Your family and your service to the community are important,” Adger said. “We always need to find ways to improve the community and give back, and so, that’s one of the things I really like about where I’m at now.”
At a young age, Adger started cooking and baking from her mother’s teachings. She continues the tradition to honor her mother.
“I enjoy doing it because it just takes you back to simpler times, and for me, it reconnects me with my mother and aunt,” Adger said.
Adger enjoys baking because of the simplicity of mixing different ingredients to create baked goods for people to enjoy.
Volunteering on the boards of the Mahoning Valley Historical Society and the Ohio Genealogy Conference has allowed her to acknowledge the culinary arts as a family tradition.
The Historical Society hosts the event Cookie Table and Cocktails, where there is a baking competition. Adger has placed several times over the years, but believes she will continue to improve.
Though baking is a personal pleasure, Adger said friends and family members often enlist her services during the holiday season.
When Adger isn’t baking, she works as a dispatcher. Before that, she worked in broadcast news for nearly 20 years.
Adger graduated from YSU in 1988 with a degree in telecommunications. She said at the time the degree was newly introduced.
Adger said college graduates entering media, or any specialized field, should be flexible as life happens and will have to adjust accordingly.
“I always thought I was going to be a radio DJ, end up at a big station and everything, and then I got into the field and realized there were many different avenues – news, television and community affairs,” Adger said. “You have to be open and receptive to whatever lies ahead of you.”
She said although the media landscape has changed over time, a communications degree enables those in the field to branch out into multiple fields.
She also said that a degree is one way to open the door to other opportunities.
“Get your education, learn what you can here and then, once you get that piece of paper, you’re off,” Adger said. “Find your niche, find who you are and be you.”
