It’s the common denominator between Student Business Services and the medical field: care.

When Ciara Moore imagines her future, she sees herself dressed in scrubs. 

She closes her eyes and pictures herself walking the halls of her own women’s and children’s health practice, where she’ll split her time between her two passions – direct, clinical patient treatment and conducting research to help advance the field of women’s health. 

Ciara is a natural caregiver. She has an instinct to help others, and she’s dedicating her career to her instincts.  

For now, she maps out her future from behind a counter in West Hall, where she works as a student assistant for Student Business Services (SBS), caring for people in a different way. 

Lubbock Local 

While a student at Estacado High School, Ciara was in the Estacado Early College High School, a partnership program with Texas Tech University allowing students to earn up to 60 collegiate credit hours by the time they graduate.  

After graduating from high school, pursuing higher education at Texas Tech was the obvious choice for Ciara. 

“Tech has everything that I could ever need. There wasn't another school in Texas that really compared to Tech in my eyes,” Ciara explains.

As a student in the Honors College, Ciara manages a teeming schedule of classes, events, labs and research hours as she works toward degrees in cell and molecular biology and human development and family sciences to help her reach her goal – equally ambitious – of becoming a perinatologist, an obstetrician specializing in high-risk pregnancies.  

Her aspirations include fusing her newfound passion of research and dedication to patient care by earning a combined M.D.-Ph.D. 

“I want to be able to provide women with a space where they feel comfortable discussing issues related to their health status in a way where they feel heard and seen,” Ciara explains. “This career path takes a lot of sacrifice and discipline to continue through, so I always remind myself of the families that will need me one day, and that helps me to continue on.” 

Working On Campus 

The summer before beginning her first semester at college, Ciara went all in. After learning about the position from her high school counselor, her ambition shone through as she applied for a part-time job at SBS. 

At only 17 years old, one of her first tasks was helping staff a booth at One Stop, a pop-up event designed for students to get connected with campus resources.

“It forced me to learn the job, and ended up being a great resource for me, as a student and an employee,” Ciara remembers.  

Beyond informing students about their finances and aid opportunities, Ciara enjoys connecting with everyone she interacts with. It’s in her nature to be helpful. 

“I love just being able to talk to a lot of different students because you see so many people every day,” Ciara says, beaming. “The interaction is very rewarding.” 

Flexibility 

Ciara’s days are busy. Between classes, labs and work hours, she’s booked nearly every hour of the day, but that doesn’t stop her from boosting her productivity at every chance. 

As a dual major and dual minor student, Ciara takes advantage of Supplemental Instruction (SI) Sessions offering a peer-to-peer learning experience through review sessions for the rigorous courses she’s enrolled in.  

“When I worked a different job, I’d usually have to take night shifts,” Ciara recounts. “Now, it works out great for my lifestyle because I can make it to SI sessions, and it has helped me a lot in class this semester.” 

Beyond the flexibility of her schedule, Ciara is thankful for the transferable skills her on-campus job has taught her.  

Transferable Skills 

“A big skill I use is patience while understanding the emotions that go into play with SBS,” Ciara explains. “Also, the human interaction skills I’m learning really are transferable to any kind of job.”  

With aspirations to thrive in the medical industry, Ciara knows the educational road ahead is long. Yet, her work as an undergraduate student lays the foundation for the next steps in her career. Even as a student studying pre-medicine, Ciara says working at SBS gives her direct work experience and the flexibility to flourish. 

“I have learned how to maintain a level of professionalism with these students while being considerate of their circumstances,” Ciara explains. “As a doctor, there are set laws and protocols in place that I will need to adhere to, but I have learned how to follow the rules while being able to be innovative and come up with things that will help people based on their needs.” 

Sarah Woody, a student account manager at SBS and supervisor and mentor to Ciara, concurs with her sentiment.  

“Even when a student's on-campus job doesn't directly align with their long-term career goals, I believe the experience still provides essential skills—such as leadership, teamwork, professionalism, a strong work ethic and practical workplace abilities—that are valuable in any career path,” Sarah says.  

These are skills that Ciara has learned and applied both in the workplace and in her studies. 

“Since Ciara joined our team as a student assistant, I’ve seen her grow tremendously in confidence and professionalism,” Sarah explains. “She has become more outgoing and has developed a strong understanding of both Student Business Services and the university.” 

From SBS to M.D.-Ph.D. 

Ciara’s aspirations are striking, and while her current career may seem unrelated, the common denominator is obvious: a commitment to care.  With a passion for research and the desire to further advance women’s health, she is setting herself up for success by gaining the soft skills necessary to thrive in her future endeavors. 

“This job has taught me how to express empathy and be compassionate to people in tough situations,” Ciara explains. “I’ve learned professional and social skills that will benefit me for years to come.”