Catarina Sterken
I have had a lot of experience working with other people, with two years as a customer service worker and about three summers of working with children in a summer camp counselor position. I am dedicated to helping others and am known for strong safety awareness, conflict resolution, and providing a positive working environment. As I have been a part of many teams—both through work and school—I am committed to working with others. Being collaborative and finding solutions in any type of situation is a strong skill of mine, as well as being able to deescalate high-emotion situations. I have procured my Associate in Arts through Elgin Community College and graduated Hampshire High School with my Seal of Biliteracy for American Sign Language (ASl). I am currently working on obtaining a Bachelors in Psychology and Minoring in both Criminal Justice and Social Work, with my main goal being to aquire my Masters in Social Work.
Work History
Cashier
2 Years 1 Month- Handled money transactions and assisted customers with their items.
- Maintained accuracy with memorization of prices and item codes.
- Resolved discrepancies with payments and pricing inaccuracies.
- Provided customers with pleasant company and professional conversation.
- Efficiently and quickly handled technological issues with self-check out areas of the store.
- Helped train new employees with company policies and how to be professional with helping customers.
- Flexibility during a shift; including switching positions with a coworker or working overtime when needed.
Summer Camp Counselor
1 Year 3 Months- Worked with children in grades through Preschool, Kindergarten, First, and Second Grade
- Supervised and developed creative and engaging camp activities multiple times a day.
- Ensured the safety of all children during field trips and during normal camp hours.
- Helped to teach conflict resolution between children and helped to calm high-emotion situations.
- Contributed to camp activities to ensure engaging and enjoyable experiences for children. and was attentive to possible disagreements between children before they happened.
- Maintained cleanliness of activity stations to ensure cleanliness in all the play stations during the day and upheld the duties of a maintenance crew after the camp had closed.
- Maintained professionalism with coworkers and communicated thoroughly about activities or disagreements between children, such as frequently writing and submitting incident reports.
- Worked to teach and help children understand how to socialize and interact with others kindly and responsibly.
- Communicated efficiently with the guardians of children who had struggled during the day or who had injuries that the guardian should know about.
Education
Associate of Arts - Psychology
- A 3.4 GPA.
- Played 3rd Singles for the Woman's Tennis team, 2025 to 2026.
- Was included in the Dean's List at Elgin Community College
- Took all General Education classes, as well as Psychology, Ethics/Philosophy, and Social Work classes as extracurriculars.
- Was a part of the ECC choir program, as well as the piano program.
High School Diploma
- Participated in Tri-M, 2022-2024
- 3rd Singles for Girls Tennis, 2021 to 2024
- Long Distance for Girls Track & Field, 2021 to 2024
- Musical Theatre, 2024
- 3.33 GPA
- Received a State Seal of Biliteracy for American Sign Language on Diploma