Meet Keturah Young, Administrative Assistant

Keturah Young is a 15-year veteran of managing how ITS runs behind the scenes. And while she’s the go-to administrative assistant for many people in the department, Keturah’s resourcefulness has evolved into other skills to find even more ways to help her colleagues.

Keturah, tell us a little about your role in ITS.

I am an admin support, and support up to 16 people in ITS senior leadership. I help with meetings, supplies, onboarding and offboarding, taking care of the suite… my hands are in a lot of stuff.

How long have you been with ITS?  

Fifteen years.

Wow, that's a long time. What’s your favorite part about your job?

The fact that there’s a lot to do, you know? I like being mobile. I like learning different things, so just having my hands in different things is always that's my favorite part.

What did you do before you joined ITS?

I was also in administration in portfolio real estate on 42nd Street.

That’s quite a switch to come from real estate. What made you want to change from real estate to healthcare?

Even working in the real estate realm, I also supported some of the people who were doing IT, so it was still kind of in the IT realm.

Are there any projects or initiatives you’ve worked on that you feel have been impactful to improve IT or the way we run things in the department?

I can't think of anything specific right now off the top of my head, but if you're the go-to person when it comes to getting information, or at least being someone who can start to help somebody with something and be able to direct them to the next person… I think that’s how I help improve things. I always ask people after the fact, “Okay, so how did that work out?” because I want to know. “What did they tell you?” … so I know that when that issue comes to me again, I can give them more complete information about it.

I’m sure work can sometimes be overwhelming, so what do you do to stay inspired and motivated at work?

Just knowing that things are going to get done. I'm a huge list maker, so it's gonna get done! I think that people [I work with] know that usually I can get everything done within 24 hours, but if I can't, I'll definitely let them know, “I was only able to get this done, but tomorrow I'll be able to get it finished.” So, staying inspired I think is just being busy and I like learning, I like doing stuff.

So it sounds like just taking it one step at a time.

Yeah. I absolutely have to have my little checklist. Usually, I wind up writing it down because I'm pulled off task so quickly. I have just a crazy notebook [holds up giant notebook full of writing].

Oh my God, how many notebooks do you go through in a year?  

I get the one that has 300-plus pages, so this will probably last me maybe a year. And then you're just like, “I have to keep it! I have to keep it!” because I know there will be something in another notebook that everyone's asking me about, and that notebook will have the answer!

You mentioned to me earlier that you’re trying to transition into something new with the Gig Program and our Infrastructure team. Can you tell me a little bit about what the Gig Program is?

The Gig Program is a mentoring on-the-job experience to see whether or not a certain position or the direction you're trying to go is exactly what you want to do. Does it align with your skills and with your interests… things like that.

What is it that you're doing now with the Gig Program?

Right now, I’m working more with finance apps like Flexera [an IT management software] and AWS. When someone has a question about their finances in AWS, for example, they would reach out to me and say, “Last month was way more than this month. Why?” Then I'll be able to look and see what your policies are and what your processes were to report back, “Oh, you spent more doing this last month, and that’s why it was more money.”

Basically, anyone who has questions about their finances for Infrastructure services, I'm able to give them reports to show what they're doing in the system so they can make decisions.  

Is there anything you like about this particular role that that you haven't had in your past positions?

I think just being at the forefront a little bit more with Flexera and with Infrastructure. It's very needed… not to say admin is not very needed, but this very critical work and I want to do it. I’m going to Penn State and my major is Security and Risk Analysis, which aligns more with the Flexera side and what I want to do with my major.

How long have you been in your program at Penn State?

I'm a sophomore, so I have two to two to three more years, depending on if I start to also take some of my AI classes which is what I'll be getting my masters in.

Oh, that’s awesome!

Thank you!  

What made you decide to move toward security and risk analysis?

As an admin, you always know when something's about to happen. I'm seeing things, like directors playing in their own calendars, or other things that going on, and I’m like, “One second, one second… that’s not gonna work.” Security, risk analysis, continuity, disaster recovery – it just really appeals to me because that's kind of like what I'm doing now on steroids.

I always was kind of fascinated by that position as well because I feel like everybody I've ever met in that role has been the most calm, secure person I've ever met. If I had that job, that would just be bad for everybody [laughs], but you’re a good person to look to in a stressful situation.

[Laughs] Let's breathe and now let's begin. Yeah, that's me.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I love going to the gym. I love spending time with my husband. He travels a lot, so I'm able to go with him. We travel quite a bit, so I always enjoy that.

I know that you’re always sending me new recipes that I appreciate.

Yes, yes, yes! Cooking new stuff, tasting new foods – that sort of stuff is always enjoyable.

Since it’s Women's History Month, who are some women that you admire and why?

You know, it's a long list of women that I admire. But, I admire any woman who is curious because when you're curious, that leads to thinking outside the box. It leads to you wanting to find the answer. I’m a curious person and I think it really takes you far when you are curious, but with a dose of humility. Like, I have no problem with saying I don't understand something. I want to understand it, and I've even said to people, “Listen, I'm ignorant of that one, so go ahead teach me. I'm listening.” Everyone has their own role, and I want to know about it. I've never had anyone say, “I don't have time to tell you that.” So, any woman who is curious, who wants to know, and who wants to, if given the opportunity, make things better, is who I admire.