Stickley started in banking and then worked in the hospitality industry at Embassy Suites for 15 years. Stickley is from Richmond, Va., and lived there until she transferred from the RIC Embassy Suites to Jacksonville in 1996 to work as their hotel controller. She lived in Jacksonville for 5 years until her daughter, Kira, was born in 2001. After returning to Virginia, she worked in a private girls’ middle school, Orchard House School, for 12 years until moving to St. Augustine in 2019. Her daughter Kira applied at Flagler and started here in 2019 and on the first parent weekend, they found their dream house on the St. John’s River and decided to go for it! Stickley also has a real estate and cosmetology license, having worked in both of these fields within my other jobs.
How long have you been at Flagler, and what does your position entail?
My one year anniversary at Flagler was Oct. 21. I work with the Admissions Office as the Visitor Services Coordinator and I assist our prospective students and families, from the initial inquiry to the actual visit and sometimes follow-up, to set up visits and any additional experiences they’d like to explore while on campus. I work with Philadelphia Zimmerman and all of our awesome ambassadors to make sure that every visit is a fabulous experience. I want to ensure students and their families leave already feeling like Flagler is their home.
What do you enjoy most about working at Flagler?
The favorite part of my job is being able to be a happy and welcoming presence to visiting students and families. I want to make them feel at home and comfortable and that I am here and they can reach out to me for anything they want. I also LOVE working with our ambassadors who make my days the very best!
What is a stand-out memory you have from interacting with students?
It is hard to pick one moment that is THE memory. I see so many of our ambassadors just going out of the way to make each visit special and memorable. I think one of the things that I just see and love the most is how quickly all of the ambassadors jump in to help each other and cover shifts at the last minute. Such a fabulous team! They never cease to surprise me and make me proud!
What is your proudest moment, personally or professionally?
My best moment in life was the day Kira was born! But past that, my proudest moment happened while I was working at Orchard House. I was the Front Office Coordinator in a school of 80 girls, 5th-8th grade. In such a small school, I knew everyone and I loved giving them a smile, some advice or a listening ear whenever they needed it. Our middle school wasn’t like most, everyone loved it, but still…it’s MIDDLE SCHOOL and all these girls are going through all of the pre-teenage angst, doubts, depressions, anxiety and uncertainty. One day I got to thinking about what I could do to make it a bit easier as I remembered back to what I needed and missed in my middle school years. My idea was a club called MirrorMirror. I meet weekly with girls and we talked about everything from body image, negative influences and where they come from and how to deal with them, racism, LBGTQ issues, diversity and inclusivity. In those 45-minute lunch clubs, the girls found a safe place and began learning to love themselves and not compare themselves to others and unreal messages that are bombarded at them every day. We learned that kindness to ourselves allows us to mirror it out to others. Our club became very popular and girls chose to come to club rather than recess or other fun options at lunch. We all became very close and really bonded. Many girls during that time, and even girls that write to me now tell me how much it made a difference in their lives. One of the girls asked me once why I started MirrorMirror, and I told her it was because if there was only one person that let them know that they were OK, I was going to make sure they knew it. I tried to be the voice and help them find the confidence that I lacked at the same time in my growth.
If you could meet anyone dead or alive, who would it be and why?
As far as who I would like to meet, I am not one who is easily swooned by celebrity, but I would do anything to be able to sit down with my dad and mom and my grandma and grandpa, especially with some years of insight and maturity on my side.
If you could choose anywhere in the world to travel, where would you go and why?
If I could go anywhere, I would love to go around the world on a chartered sailboat that stopped everywhere it was possible to stop. I love the water and traveling that way would be almost as great as the destinations. I know there are so many beautiful areas and peoples out there to see and meet.
