Looking back on my nontraditional college experience, I am nothing short of glad for it. Amid high school graduation, I was not sure what I wanted to do with my life, just that I wanted to be creative and help the Earth. I took a year off from school to work and started a sustainable candle business, which led me to pursue business studies at a local community college. After earning my associate’s degree in business administration from Lake Michigan College, I knew I wanted to continue my education – but I was not sure where.
I came to Valpo on a whim, only knowing one person in town. My partner spoke highly of the College of Business and through visiting him, I fell in love with the small, tight-knit campus culture. Valpo felt like the perfect blend of being close to home, while still providing countless new opportunities. As a transfer student, I was extremely nervous that I had fallen behind my peers during my gap year and would have a tough time fitting into established friend groups and routines. However, joining sorority life and connecting with my classmates proved me wrong. My sisters in Kappa Kappa Gamma and the College of Business made me feel more than welcome, and I realized that everyone else has their own unique story, too, and it only makes for a richer education and community.
As someone who has always struggled to narrow down my career goals, exploring Valpo’s marketing program was invaluable. During my two short years at Valpo, I discovered the vast range of possibilities within marketing, which revealed my true passions and showed me exactly how to pursue them.
Learning from professors with diverse backgrounds and experiences introduced an abundance of new perspectives that inspired me academically and personally. Most notably, Professor Musa Pinar, Ph.D., and Professor Karl Madsen, MBA, have challenged my thinking through real-life, applicable projects. Activities like nonprofit creation, international marketing campaign design, and conducting consulting and marketing research for local businesses have propelled me directly into professional experience. The connections that I have formed through these projects and other networking events have been significant, and I thank my professors for the countless chances to grow.
Outside of the classroom, I found exceptional value in sorority life, honor societies, volunteering initiatives, and on-campus internships. Campus life has immersed me in vivid cultures and allowed me to be part of an equally amazing work culture as a marketing intern for the Valparaiso University marketing department. The knowledge, kindness, and encouragement that I receive from these communities make it a little easier being away from my big family in Michigan.
With all of these experiences grounding me, I’m ecstatic to radiate creativity and care in my post-graduation positions. I am not only wholly prepared but confident to enter the workforce with the technical and interpersonal skills I honed during my Valpo experience. My entrepreneurial goals and my plans to pursue a career in marketing and product development in the beauty industry are now actionable, not just dreams. Valpo has taught me the beauty of saying yes, how to grow through discomfort, and how to be pushed while still being supported.
