This week’s profile is Michelle Lambing, the Assistant Director of the Anti-Violence Initiative (AVI). Michelle is a Class of 2008 graduate of TCNJ, and received her masters from TCNJ in 2013. Michelle first became involved with AVI during her freshman year of college in 2004, which also happened to be the year that AVI was created. When she was a Senior she interned in the office of AVI and was in charge of the peer educators. Following her Senior Year she came back to the office with a temporary position, and then was hired permanently as a Program Assistant and then promoted to the AVI coordinator in 2014.
As the Program Assistant/Coordinator she has seen the program evolve in many ways. For starters, in 2004 there was no Peer Educator program, instead there were volunteers from leadership groups on campus that advocated against violence. Now, there are Peer Educators that are trained in programming whose goal is to decrease violence on campus. There is even a street team, made of students who volunteer their time to assist the PE’s as a way to complete their CEL requirements. Michelle believes that the biggest difference between when she started and now is that “the presence on campus has grown tremendously.” Most likely due to the expansion of programs offered, and by the Peer Educator involvement in Welcome Week.
Being the AVI Program Coordinator is not always an easy job, Michelle states that she stays motivated by the energy of the students in the Peer Educator program, as they have a passion for ending violence in campus. For many “folks, AVI becomes a second home,” which goes to show just how close the group is. However, the clinical side of someone’s healing journey is difficult and that’s why Michelle finds it so essential that “anytime you’re doing trauma related work, you do prevention work as well.” She works hard for her clients day in and day out and every time she locks her file cabinet before she leaves for work she says “‘I have done everything I can do for you today and I will be back tomorrow.’”
Not only is Michelle the AVI Coordinator, but she is a full time mom and wife. Another way Michelle states that she practices self-care is by spending time with her family. She especially enjoys having dance parties with her three-year-old, and singing along to the Tangled soundtrack on their 30-minute commute home.
The work that Michelle does every day is not only hard work, but heart work, and so many people are thankful for her as she is an essential part to their healing process.