Hometown
Brainerd, MN
Undergraduate education
Spanish and International Studies Major, Luther College
Employer
University of Wisconsin-Madison, International Student Services
Job title
International Student Advisor
How did you get interested in the Global Higher Education field of study?
I spent one full year teaching English in Madrid, Spain, which then led me to finding a job teaching English for a private company in Shanghai, China for two and a half years. These years teaching English abroad were some of the most fun and rewarding years of my life, and I really feel like I learned a lot about myself by putting myself out of my comfort zone. These experiences inspired me to return to the United States and enter the field of international education, and now I have been working as an International Student Advisor for the past five years.
What skills did you learn about and have you found most useful? Can you describe them and how they’ve helped you?
One of the main skills that I learned during the GHE program is how to navigate the higher education job market and to feel confident applying for jobs in the field. The GHE program includes various professional development workshops with Professor Weijia Li, and I found these to be extremely useful. Professor Li is very knowledgeable about the current state of higher education and international education, and he uses his expertise to guide us on applying for various positions in higher education. These skills alone have served me well in the past five years working in higher education, and I know that they will continue to help me no matter what positions I apply to in the future.
How has your degree helped you in your current job or career?
I’m passionate about telling people that they should only do a graduate degree if it will actually be helpful or practical for them to do so. I found that the GHE program was impactful because it was practical and helped to prepare you for real-life scenarios both as an applicant for jobs and for encountering scenarios that you will deal with in the real world. Even if you do not end up working in higher education or international education, the GHE program can provide useful and practical job training for you that will transfer to a wide variety of fields.