What has been the most rewarding part about working at the Sanger Center?
The most rewarding part about working at the Sanger Center is getting the opportunity to give back on campus while making connections with other UT students that I would not have had the opportunity to work with without Sanger.
What has been the most surprising aspect of your job?
The most surprising aspect of my job has been the knowledge that I have gained through connecting with other students. As an Outreach and Communication Specialist, I am able to meet and learn about so many different student groups across campus when I give presentations. As a Senior Outreach and Communication Specialist in the Public Speaking Center, I meet so many different students that come in the center for consultations on a wide range of topics. I have been able to work with students on topics about anything from various periods of time in history to aspects of engineering that I never imagined I would learn about at my time at UT.
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?
I worked with a student who was particularly nervous about public speaking. During our consultation, we worked together to improve upon each issue by focusing on one at a time. By the end of our one hour meeting, the student expressed that she felt immensely better about her upcoming presentation. This specific time was special because this consultation was one of my first in my experiences in the first year of the opening of the Public Speaking Center where I felt that I truly made an impact on a student’s learning experience.
What do you think is the biggest myth about learning/studying in college?
I think the biggest myth about studying in college is that everyone pulls all nighters in order to get all of their work done or to prepare for a big test. A large part of the key to success for a big exam is preparing in advance to ensure that you have plenty of time to get rest the night before the exam.
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?
When I got to UT, I was unsure about what exactly I wanted to major in and if I wanted to remain in the school where I was accepted. Instead of doing my research, I figured I would ultimately figure it out and everything would work out for me. As a freshman, I ended up being a few days late to register for the prerequisite courses to apply to internally transfer to the business school for my sophomore year. This mistake ended up pushing back the option to transfer schools until my junior year. Looking back, I would advise someone in that same situation of being unsure about their academic goals to research all of their options from the beginning to ensure they are able to pursue those goals once they figure out exactly what they are.