Anne Marie Foley, MA'20, Sociology and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Sociology Instructor and Pre-Social Work Program Coordinator, Allen County Community College
September 2, 2025
Can you describe your career path and how it has led to your current work?
As an undergraduate, I worked full time in retail; I came straight to Brandeis from undergrad and worked in retail and student worker jobs all through my time there. When I graduated from Brandeis, I applied for a tenure-track community college job in Kansas, got it, and worked there for a year and half. Then I applied to another tenure-track community college job in Southeast Kansas, got it, and have been there ever since. I really enjoy it when students learn and grasp new concepts, and helping them get there and hearing their ideas really excited me as a course assistant at Brandeis. I wanted to continue facilitating student learning in that way.
What does a typical day/week look like for you in this position?
I teach about four in-person classes a semester, which typically works out to two per day. I also teach two or three online classes as well – I am contracted to teach fifteen credit hours and can also go beyond that. I’m the only sociologist at the college, so I teach all the sociology classes, alongside women's, gender, and sexuality studies and anthropology, and oversee the Pre-Social Work Program. In addition to teaching, I have a lot of student meetings and advise Phi Theta Kappa, the highest honor society for community college students. I am also now the president of the faculty senate which involves a lot of advocating for faculty to administration, notetaking, and surveys. I also spend time answering student emails. Every ten minutes, there are students in my office talking to me!
What skills from your Brandeis degree have you found most valuable in your current work?
The education I got from the experts, I’ve been able to make accessible to my students. Everything they taught me, I’ve been able to share. Students really seem to like seeing what actual research looks like and means, outside of a textbook. The faculty I served as a course assistant for also helped me figure out how I wanted to teach: seeing the different ways they taught and balanced research and teaching responsibilities. At a community college, we wear many different hats – I teach other social sciences too – so it’s good to have those skills they taught me.
What advice do you have for current students as they embark on their career exploration or job search?
Think about where you want to be and what the community looks like. Think about integrating yourself in the community or making connections. I take part in hiring, and there’s always the question, “Why do they want to move here? What will keep them here?” Think about how to sell yourself and what you want to do for the community. Having connections there can really be helpful.
Sometimes when I talk about being full-time community college faculty, people say “That sounds crazy!” and it kind of is. But if you love your subject matter and helping students navigate the process of learning and growing, it’s great – you get to mentor students, help them access resources, and be part of a really beneficial institution. It’s a fun job, even though it’s a lot of work.