What has been the most rewarding part about working at the Sanger Center?
The most rewarding aspect of working at the Sanger Learning Center has been achieving personal growth in key elements of professional development, such as communication and leadership. As a student, it’s difficult to find opportunities that prepare you for the professional world; Sanger has provided this experience for me.
What has been the most surprising aspect of your job?
The most surprising aspect of working as a PLUS Peer Coordinator has been the lasting impact of my leadership. Although I no longer work with the student facilitators from previous semesters, they continue to reach out to me for academic guidance.
Tell us about a time you worked with a student (or group of students) and were particularly proud of the outcome. What happened? Why was it special?
In the fall 2017 semester, I worked with a PLUS student facilitator who had a rough transition to her first semester in college. As an out-of-state student, she was discouraged by her isolation from her family and the grades she received that fell below her standards. Subsequently, she was unhappy that her stress overwhelmed the positive aspects of UT. However, in working with her we discussed different study strategies and resources she could utilize to ease this stress. Over the course of the semester, she began to improve her grades and enjoy the college experience. Working with her was an extremely gratifying experience in knowing that I could impact others positively.
What do you think is the biggest myth about learning/studying in college?
The biggest myth I was told about learning in college was that if students do not instantly understand material, they will continue to be lost. In truth, nearly everyone has a subject in which they struggle. However, actively working towards understanding material and utilizing different study resources undeniably leads to success.
Tell us about an academic challenge you encountered when you got to UT. How did you handle it? What advice would you give to someone in that same situation?
Last semester, I was frustrated with the grade I received on a test in my government class. To remedy this, I went to office hours to uncover which topics I should pay the most attention for the next test. After this, I continued to consistently go to office hours and created a reading plan for myself so that I would have a head start on the material and be able to ask questions during class. If another student had a similar experience, I would encourage them to analyze their strengths and weaknesses and to create an action plan that best suited their studying style.