Adara Joiner

Yearbook Sales Representative

I am a Yearbook Sales Representative. I have the great pleasure of helping teachers and students create a lasting product that honors their school memories. I love this job because it allows me to meet and support incredible educators, brag on Walsworth as a company to prospect customers and be a part of a very talented team who keep our business running like a well-oiled machine.

This is my first year working in the printing industry. I am a former English teacher. I was in the classroom for 8 years, four of those as a Walsworth yearbook adviser.

My favorite part of this job is inspiring teachers and students. It is really great to encourage them to try new things, exercise new skills and get out of their comfort zone to produce a more professional-looking yearbook that will wow their school community.

My personalized coffee mug would say: “Knowledge is Power.”

I am a competitive person by nature, especially when it comes to pushing myself. I want to get better every day. If I didn’t feel like I pushed myself out of my comfort zone a little bit on a particular day, it was a day wasted.

My husband Paul and I live in my great-grandmother’s house which is very special to me. We have been married for almost a year and we are expecting our first little one, Chloe Elise Whetstone. We have three cats; Baby G, Stevie and LB. I also have a potted plant addiction. They are all over the house and people have said I must want it to feel like a jungle (basically true).

When I am not servicing customers or on the road prospecting, I am going to the grocery store to buy ingredients for some new recipe, planning out home renovations (which usually entails enlisting Paul for some project), going on hikes around our home in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and spending time with my friends and family.

Working for Walsworth has given me a strong sense of purpose and direction of where I see myself in the future. I was nervous to make the switch from teaching to sales, but I am very comfortable in this new role now that I have gotten a full year under my belt. I had attained my master’s degree in Educational Leadership the year before I was contacted about this position, so I was afraid I would feel like I had wasted my time on that degree and principal’s licensure.

However, it turns out that those skills are extremely useful when it comes to being successful as a sales rep because I know how to speak the same language as the decision-makers in my schools. It also allows me a great deal of autonomy which has been dwindling in the field of education, and it turns out this is something that is a top value when it comes to what makes me feel fulfilled in a career.

I feel this position helps me give back to my community. I am able to support teachers, inspire students and teach workshops which is why I wanted to be a teacher and school administrator before switching to sales. This is the best of both worlds since I get to be a helping hand in so many community schools.

My favorite memories from this past year have been seeing how excited teachers and yearbook staffs are to see the finished product that they have worked so hard to create once. It has also brought me a great deal of joy being able to help advisers take control of their budget and get out of hot water regarding their school finances.