AFF BLAZE A TRAIL
He changed majors often, land - ing on German literature, then attended law school at Seattle University. Path to Professor: Ambrosio took a job
at a Swiss investment firm, where he became interested in how taxes are embedded across business activities. He earned an LLM degree in taxation and became a senior tax analyst for the Internal Revenue Service, but remained intrigued by the “many odd complexities about our tax system” and decided to enter academia to pursue research. He joined the Central faculty in 2017 and continued delving into the details of tax law while earning a Ph.D. from the University of Washington in 2021. On Being First-Generation: “Being first-generation, you could be at a disadvantage but also at an advantage. The disadvantage is that no one has walked the path before you, and therefore you don’t have a paved road or some - body to coach you on where the jobs and opportunities are. But the enormous advantage is that you can make it what - ever you want. At some point, whether you are first-genera - tion or not, there will be opportunities. And it’s just a matter of jumping on them.” Advice for Students: “You don’t have to fit into a mold, because you might actually be better than the mold.”
so she applied. She found a home in the Lan - guage and Literature Building, connected with mentors, studied abroad in Greece, and earned a degree in philosophy in 2006. Path to Working in Higher Ed: Darting spent the summer after graduation in Alaska, thinking about how she wanted to contribute to the world, and she realized she wanted to help college students. She returned to Central as a staff member in 2007, working in the Registrar’s office before transitioning to academic advising. She advised students at the CWU centers in Lynnwood and Des Moines, then came back to Ellensburg, eventually becoming the director of the College of Business Career, Advising, and Tutoring Center. As direc - tor, she manages college admissions, enrollment, advising, scholarships, and more. On Being First-Generation: “I did love college, but because I was first in the family, I didn’t know how to do college. … I was so first-generation I didn’t actually understand what it meant. All of the types of services that existed for first-gen - eration students, I didn’t even know those existed.” On Supporting Students: “I love their excitement, how ev - erything is possible for them, even things that they may not realize are possible. I love sharing with them what opportu- nities there are, helping them to think about their educational options in a different way.”
Amber Darting (’06) Director, College of Business
College Experience: Growing up in rural Washington near Cle Elum, the clearest pictures of college Darting had were from the movies and from field trips to Central, where many of her teachers had attended. Central became her definition of a university,
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