As typical of most university professors, Ali’s job consists of research, teaching, and service. Her philosophy on how to complete the tasks required of her job center around her desire to contribute directly to the community. More specifically, she believes that her responsibility is primarily to the community the University in charged in serving. Since the University of Iowa is the flagship university for the state of Iowa, it is important to tie the research directly to the needs of Iowans. Thus, the majority of her research over the past five years has focused on the implementation of career and employment programs that work directly with K-12 students or unemployed adults in the state of Iowa.