Alumni Highlights

June 2026 – Aly Nazarok ’22, ’24

Aly Nazarok is the June Alumni Highlight!

Meet Aly Nazarok, a proud Shepherd University alum who turned her passion for helping others into a meaningful career in housing advocacy and community development.

Aly shares her journey from New Jersey to Shepherd, where she double-majored in Political Science and Global Studies, earned her master’s in Appalachian Studies, and immersed herself in campus life through athletics, student leadership, and community service. Today, she works as a housing counselor, helping individuals and families navigate everything from budgeting and renting to homeownership and financial literacy.

Aly also gives back as an adjunct instructor and youth soccer coach, continuing her commitment to empowering others both on and off the field.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Katie Swayne: Hi everybody, it’s Katie Swayne, Director of Alumni Affairs at Shepherd University, here with another Shepherd University Alumni Association highlight, and this month we will be featuring Aly Nazarok. So I am going to let Randy Friend, our Board President, take it away from here.

Randy Friend: Yeah, thanks, Katie, and welcome back, everybody. I hope that you are enjoying the series as we have gone through them. They have been exciting for both of us to be engaged, and obviously, learning a lot about our alums throughout our entire Shepherd network. So, that being said, we want to introduce Aly, but we’re going to let Aly introduce herself, really. She’s, perfectly capable of doing those things. So, Aly, give us a little background of who you are and then your connection with Shepherd.

Aly Nazarok: Yeah, so, I started at Shepherd in 2018, political science major, and I ended up double majoring in political science and global studies with a minor in psychology. I loved it so much that I couldn’t leave, so I got my master’s in Appalachian Studies, and was able to have a graduate assistantship, and then, I’m originally from New Jersey, but I loved the area so much, and that’s what drew me to Shepherd, that I ended up staying and getting a job in the local community.

Randy Friend: Nice. Well, let’s start with that kind of adventure from New Jersey. How did you even find Shepherd to begin with?

Aly Nazarok: Yeah, so, I played on an elite club team for soccer when I was in high school, and my parents’ rule was if I was going to play on this team, and obviously those teams are expensive, that I had to do a college tour and look at an area every single time that I went.

Randy Friend: Oh, nice.

Aly Nazarok: I was actually in a tournament at Bethesda, Maryland, and the Shepherd coach I knew was coming to my game, so it wasn’t too far for me to do an on-campus visit. The on-campus visit that I did was in the spring, when all the flowers were blooming, and the whole campus was pink, and yeah, it was over from there.

Randy Friend: Nice.

Aly Nazarok: I knew I wanted to come.

Randy Friend: That’s awesome. And so, obviously you came, right? Political Science, Global Studies, minor in Psychology. What made you want to study political science? I actually took a chance to kind of look at your LinkedIn page. Not only were you studying political science, it looks like you were very involved in, kind of, it seemed like local politics in the New Jersey area, so kind of walk us through what, what made you choose that and that connection?

Aly Nazarok: Yeah, so actually, during the soccer recruiting process, I actually was a pre-physical therapy major. But in high school all of my electives were very history-based, and I had a conversation with my high school teachers and my parents at the time, and they were said we know that you just really want to help people, and that’s what was driving me towards the medical field. They suggested blending helping people with what you are actually interested in, which was more of the history classes. I took that advice, I followed it, I started taking the political science classes, and I absolutely loved it. I cannot say enough good things about those professors or that program. I got ingrained in everything political science from there. I was a part of the Civility Club; I restarted the Young Dems during the 2020 election cycle when I was at Shepherd. I was in student government, I had, like, 3 on-campus internships, so everything, kind of, that I got involved in stemmed from academics.

Randy Friend: Wow, that’s awesome! That is a lot. So you’re balancing that and playing soccer at Shepherd at the same time. Like, how were you able to do that, balance that kind of crazy schedule?

Aly Nazarok: You know, sometimes I wonder that now, being an adult, because I am, like, asleep by 10.30, I am like, how did I do that? No, but, I was really passionate, and I had a really great support system, so I, you know, I would say I had really great friends, I was able to meet really awesome people, and in addition, I felt like I had a lot of, support and encouragement from the staff and faculty. Like, yes, you can definitely do this. Hey, let’s make sure that we tell your coach, and we can balance this. There definitely was an open line of communication between athletics and myself, and then faculty, which really helped make it work.

Randy Friend: Yeah, that’s awesome. And so, you kind of had this adventure, right? You do political science, global studies, and then what I love is that you go from, like, global studies to a very regionalized studies, App(alachian) Studies, right? So, what made you want to have that as a master’s degree?

Aly Nazarok: When I was looking at doing my master’s at Shepherd, the fact that you can kind of customize the Appalachian Studies degree to what your specific interests are is really what kind of sealed the deal for me. There was an array of different types of people and students in my classes – age, what their interest is, what their job placement wanted to be. That helped our learning so much, because you were able to soak up information from so many different diverse fields and backgrounds. So, when I realized that I could kind of hone in on, like, community development, I was like, okay, this is perfect, because I know that that’s really the direction that I want to go. And I won’t be able to customize something like this at a lot of other places, and have the freedom to do so.

Randy Friend: And so, currently, you are a fair housing specialist. Tell me what exactly that is, and how that operates, because I feel like there is a solid connection between the programs you have done at Shepherd and this, especially for your passion. So, tell us a little bit more about that.

Aly Nazarok: Yeah, so I got hired as a fair housing specialist. My title changed less than a month ago, but what drew me to that job was it really blended my work that I did on campus with community service, and non-profits, and helping people, which is, you could say, more of a social work type job or placement, with that added background of politics and advocacy and policy. I began as a fair housing specialist at Telamon, which is where I currently work, and grant cycles have been interesting over the last few years, so, I was cross-trained as a HUD-certified housing counselor. I was able to transition as the funding changed from a fair housing specialist to a HUD-certified housing counselor. Most of my undergraduate and master’s degree research was on poverty reduction, poverty reduction strategies, and so it’s, to me, like, really funny that my current company or nonprofit’s mission is to disrupt the cycle of poverty. So I feel like it all kind of came together. Not exactly how I was expecting it, definitely a lot of stress and tears, like, every person when you are getting out of school into the “real world”. I was freaking out for a little bit, but I definitely am where I’m supposed to be.

Randy Friend: Yeah, that’s awesome.

Aly Nazarok: Shepherd helped a lot with that.

Randy Friend: So for those who don’t understand, kind of, what HUD is and those types of things, can you elaborate on that for folks who may not kind of be aware of what that is?

Aly Nazarok: Yeah, so, HUD is the entity of the federal government that works with housing, so HUD stands for, Housing and Urban Development, and there are housing counselors across the country whose jobs are to assist individuals with different housing and budget-related goals. In Jefferson and Berkeley Counties, I work to do group education classes on financial literacy topics, first-time homebuyer classes, successful renters programs; so housing from people that are homeless or unhoused, and getting them housing, to renters trying to make it work, to people trying to buy houses, to people that are in foreclosure or missing a mortgage payment. All of those avenues are where I get phone calls, and I’m able to sit down and help. And then HUD also, encourages us to do group education, so teach about basic budgeting and all the classes that I just talked about. When I am telling people what I do, it can be a lot. Like, those are a lot of words; what does that look like? I usually tell people that anything that has to do with your housing or your budget, you probably want to talk to a housing counselor, because that is what we are trained to help with. HUD has grants out for housing counselors in all different parts of the country.

Randy Friend: Wow, that’s awesome. Man, that’s great work. Especially now, because it’s so, I mean, I don’t need to explain this to you, right? But the challenges in the housing market is one that’s probably, arguably, hasn’t been seen ever, I would say, right? You know, between the clash of inventory and interest rates and those types of things definitely makes it more difficult for folks who are first-time homebuyers, without a doubt. So, you’re doing great, great work. That being said, right, let’s stay on this theme of Aly does way too many things all the time.

Aly Nazarok: Yes.

Randy Friend: You’re also an adjunct professor for debate and forensics? Like, walk me through all this.

Aly Nazarok: So, yeah, so I was the adjunct for a year, in debate and forensics, and first-year experience classes. This past year, there was a debate and forensics alum that took over after I did a year in teaching debate and forensics, and now I spend most of my time doing first-year experience classes. That was so much fun. I learned so much. I never wanted to let go of Shepherd, you know, it was hard. I was so ingrained in the community, like, in the clubs that I was a part of, and we’ll get here, I’m sure, but I worked in the Community Service Department of Student Affairs, and so it was really hard to leave. I wanted to find a way to still give back and be able to be connected with Shepherd and the students. So the debate and forensics, position opened, and I was able to apply and do that for a year, but you’re right, it was a lot, and I had to take off more time than I wanted to at my current job, because they go to tournaments. Yeah, so I did my time. The class that I’m teaching now is a little bit more tied to the work that I’m doing at Telemon. The class that I’m teaching, first-year experience-wise, is actually centered on community service.

Randy Friend: Okay, and how do you feel, like, you know, being able to teach? Obviously, it keeps you connected and those types of things, right? You know, having that connection to first-year students, do you see a receptiveness to that, especially around the community service aspect? I mean, I feel like that’s always been such a big piece of Shepherd’s culture, and obviously you’re carrying that torch as you do these types of classes. You know, what things have stood out to you from the newer students that are coming in? Maybe embracing that tradition of community service.

Aly Nazarok: Yeah, I think students want to be involved, but the how and what that looks like can be a little bit more challenging, especially as we’re still, you know, I hate to always talk about COVID, but a lot of the students, they did go through that at really formative years in their life, so that is tough. I really like the fact that I can kind of work into the curriculum, getting them involved in some way, and making that an assignment that is supported, because I think it’s also a personal experience. I really got involved in things through academics. Like, I wasn’t really paying attention because I was in athletics and already doing a lot, to maybe all of the other on-campus events that I should have been. Could’ve, should’ve, would’ve. But anything that was academic-related, like, I was always there. And that then led me to all of these other amazing things, so I’m hoping to provide that pathway, and I can tell that some of the students are like, you’re going to make me go where? And do what? You know, this is a class, I have to go to this thing, but then I have heard after, like, when we have the discussion boards, they’re like, oh, I’m actually really glad I did this. I didn’t realize this many people would be interested in that. I had no idea that this existed. Which is the whole point of having that class. So that makes me really happy that maybe they weren’t planning on going or getting that knowledge, but then once they were able to, it helped them stay connected.

Randy Friend: Yeah, that’s awesome. Very, very cool. And so, you obviously have the first year experience, you have clearly your full-time career that you’rea part of, I would even make the assumption that being in that career, you probably hear things that are not in a standard 9-to-5 operation, right?

Aly Nazarok: Correct.

Randy Friend: So, how do you find Aly time? Like, what is Aly doing when she’s not doing things for everyone else?

Aly Nazarok: I also coach.

Randy Friend: Oh, there’s more! Okay, so let’s, yeah, let’s break into that, right?

Aly Nazarok: Yeah, Aly doesn’t love Aly time. No, but I find so much joy in what I do, and I really feel like I found my purpose and my passion. Like, the current work that I do now, I’m really glad I get paid for it, but if I didn’t, it would still be something that I would want to do and volunteer for. I always tell people I have the best job in the world, I get paid to help people. Like, what is better than that? Nothing. So, although it can be a little bit draining, the flexibility, like you’re saying, of our schedules and things can make it easier.

Randy Friend: Okay.

Aly Nazarok: And then, although it’s maybe not the traditional Aly time, being able to coach and still be outside and be on a field and all of those things, like, really does help me. Otherwise I’d probably just go watch Netflix on my couch and do nothing, maybe some TikTok scrolling, but, you know, twice, three times a week, I’m back on a soccer field and getting to help 12-year-old girls.

Randy Friend: I was going to ask what age group is it? Is it through the county, or is it through, you know, if they’re 12th and maybe middle school? Like, what type of group are you coaching?

Aly Nazarok: It’s a club called Epic, and it’s local. Most girls are from Jefferson County, but then we have a few that are scattered throughout. I actually do it with one of my old teammates; her name’s Paris Kimbrell. We played together at Shepherd. When I was getting done (graduating), one of the moms that I had done a Shepherd camp for her daughter is in charge of the club, she reached out to me, and she was like, hey, I remember that you coached all these, clinics that Shepherd Women’s Soccer put on, and you were one of the athletes that coached. Are you interested in coaching after graduation? Because there’s some positions that you might be interested in. I was like, yeah, actually, I would love that! So, then I, of course I got Paris involved with me, and we’ve been having so much fun, like, being able to give back in that way, and help other young girls be able to recognize their confidence and their potential, and help fuel their love for a sport. Being a woman myself, like, I never had a girl coach, ever, when growing up. Being able to provide that for them, especially to say, like, yeah, we played in college, you could too, that’s priceless!

Randy Friend: Yeah! So, how long have you been doing that?

Aly Nazarok: Since basically, graduation, so I think we are going on 3 years?

Randy Friend: Yeah, so you are starting to get some of your athletes, like, maybe even playing at high school level and things like that at this point, right? So that’s super fun. That’s awesome. Oh, man, that’s super exciting. Yeah, there isn’t a lot of Aly time mixed in there, but I think that that’s good, right? Like, you’re able to connect back to that. And what’s it like, coaching with a teammate?

Aly Nazarok: We laugh so much, because Paris and I lived together, and we were captains together, and, you know, we had different personalities as captains, and we have different, maybe, not philosophies, but different, coaching styles. We crack up at each other, but it’s such a good thing. We have such a good dynamic and respect for each other, that then it gives the girls kind of, like a happy medium, of both things. Yeah, being able to have that connection from 2019 together, like, when she was a freshman and I was a sophomore, or maybe I’m 2 years older than her. I guess I was a junior when she was a freshman, and, like, all these years later, still be on a soccer field together is really cool.

Randy Friend: That is fun. That’s really great. Man, very, very cool. You’ve had all these experiences, right? Like, kind of this full history, and quite the broad spectrum of experiences, you know. I think you probably are giving some great advice to those first-year experience students. What would you say for those students you don’t get a chance to connect with directly, what are some of the things that you would provide guidance or thoughts on for those who either just graduated or are current students, who didn’t get the, the Aly moments.

Aly Nazarok: There’s so many pieces of advice, that I want to give, but I think the few that really stick out in my head are, one, just don’t be afraid to show up. I think, especially, what generation are we on now? The Gen Z?

Randy Friend: You got it.

Aly Nazarok: You know, there’s a fear of judgment. There’s a fear of what people think or say, or, you know, I even see it in my 12-year-olds, and I’m like, come on! You know, I try to be a voice that is different than that, but that’s number one, because just showing up one time can really lead to things that you had no idea were out there, or possible, or that you enjoy. I wish I would have done more of that. I got involved towards the end, you know, towards my junior and senior year, but I didn’t my freshman and sophomore years, and I definitely missed out. I think a lot of seniors, that’s what I hear, why didn’t I do this earlier? And it’s really like you’re in a new environment, and you’re scared, so In summary, don’t be afraid to show up, and then is there a second piece of advice? Maybe smile through the overwhelm, because college is a lot. Like, most Shepherd students are working and going to class, and trying to be involved in things, or might not have time to be as involved as they want to, because they’re taking care of things at home, and they’re working, and they’re trying to balance, you know, paying for school or financial aid, or what that looks like. Then you have adults telling you, like, this is when it’s easy. I definitely had a number of people tell me that throughout college, and I’m like, but it feels like the end of the world right now! So, I think just being able to smile through that, and know it will be okay, no matter what. You know, I definitely, so many times throughout college, was like this is not going to work out, this is not going to be okay, I’m not good enough for this, X, Y, and Z, and kind of gave myself too much anxiety. Looking back, I’m like, I wish someone would have told me, like, it’s going to be okay. No matter what happens, no matter what path you’re on, you can always change. Can I tell a quick story? Do we have time?

Randy Friend: No, absolutely, yeah, we got plenty of time.

Aly Nazarok: I’ll never forget my, like, second year as a graduate assistant, I was just trying to figure out what I wanted to do when my graduate assistantship was up. I couldn’t really pinpoint, like, exactly what jobs I wanted to start applying for, which was giving me, like, so much anxiety. And my family is mostly teachers, so you’ll get a job as a teacher, and you don’t usually leave. I think all I had ever seen was you get one job, and then that’s your job. Ms. Holly Frye was my one of my bosses at the time, and I was just, like, freaking out this day, and she just told me I didn’t know what I was doing when I was your age, and to me, that was, like, what? I look up to you so much, like, you are the cream of the crop to me. Like, Holly’s the Director of Student Affairs. Like, what do you mean? Like, you always had to have it together. And she was like, absolutely not. I didn’t really start working in this field until my 30s. When I was in my 20s, I was working like a dead-end job that I hated, I had kids, and I was still trying to figure it out, and I’m in a totally different position now, but that didn’t come until a lot later, and I was, like, completely lost, and I was older than you. That just, like, stuck with me, and reminded me, like, okay, even the people you look up to the most, like, havea story or have changed careers.

Randy Friend: Yeah.

Aly Nazarok: So the decision I’m about to make is not a definite, end-all-be-all of my life. And that definitely changed my perspective and gave me kind of the freedom and ability to start applying, okay? Just somewhere. And gave me the freedom to, kind of look into more things and be more confident in myself, and led me here.

Randy Friend: That’s awesome. Well, I think that’s a great way to kind of summarize all those things, and Holly is one of my favorite people on the planet, so it does not surprise me that she had such great kind of advice, and if anything, reality check, right?

Aly Nazarok: Yeah.

Randy Friend: Look, we may fake it until we make it, you know what I mean? It’s just one of those things. And Katie is shaking her head because she sees me do that all the time, right? Aly, we appreciate you taking the time today. We know it’s the middle of your day, although very flexible, you still have regular gigs.

Randy Friend: As always, we appreciate your time, and for those folks that have joined us today, if you know somebody, you want to highlight someone that’s an alum in our great network of over 20,000 people, we’d love to be able to have that moment and join us. And, Katie, thank you for running these. Aly, we appreciate it, and we’ll see you all next time. Thanks.

Katie Swayne: Thanks so much, Aly. See you later.

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