Hometown
Wausau, WI
Undergraduate education
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Employer
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Office of Admissions and Recruitment
Job title
Manager for International Recruitment & Relationships
What drew you to pursue a master’s degree in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis: Global Higher Education from UW–Madison?
As a student on the UW–Madison campus, I worked with incoming first year and transfer students at SOAR. While I appreciated everything I learned, what really stood out to me was how many students chose to come to UW-Madison from all over the world. As a student, knowing that I would be surrounded by people with different backgrounds, perspectives, and beliefs are part of what drew me to campus. Fast forward to after college and I started working in the Office of Admissions and Recruitment as a member of the Global Initiatives Team. Learning more about the application process + higher education in a global context piqued my interest in the GHE program.
What was your most meaningful experience/impactful class or faculty member during your time with the Global Higher Education program?
Without a doubt, the most impactful faculty member of my program was Professor Weijia Li. Professor Li is a fierce advocate for students, and I can confidently say that the program would not be the same without him. He is not only an incredible wealth of knowledge, but he also knows how to connect with students. Whether it’s learning abstract theories and putting them in real world context, adapting lessons so they match current events, or helping students self-direct their studies and giving them the opportunity to dive deeper into a topic, he endlessly works to help students make the most out of their experience. I also cannot thank him enough for all of the post-grad advice he has given me over the years.
What skills did you learn about and have you found most useful? Can you describe them and how they’ve helped you?
When I first started the program, I was a year into my role in Admissions – I had so many grand ideas and opinions, thoughts of how things should happen. My ideas were rooted in idealism that, candidly, are not feasible for an institution like UW-Madison or a large public in general. GHE gave me the ability to help scale my ideas – understanding why more scholarships don’t exist for international students, but how to advocate for an increase in funding in a realistic manner. I learned how to better understand institutional limitations and priorities, working towards my goals or ideas with more realistic, scalable steps.
What advice do you have for someone who is considering pursuing this degree?
The Global Higher Education program is such an incredible program, and I cannot recommend it enough. Not only was I able to gain in depth knowledge about global higher education, but what really set it apart was the cohort model. Learning with a group of likeminded students (coming from different backgrounds) and having the most supportive advisor is what sets the program above the rest. Additionally, I really appreciated the flexibility of the program and how I was able to continue working full time while taking classes in the evening. GHE was such an impactful part of my personal and professional trajectory, and I cannot recommend it enough.