Following is a Q&A with one of the 749 students who received a diploma Dec. 16 at UW-Stout.
Name: Samantha Martell
Hometown: Somerset
Major: Marketing and business education
Awards, honors: College of Education, Health and Human Sciences Outstanding Student Award, Goodman Family Endowed Scholarship, Gary and Maxine Searle Family Endowed Scholarship, Darlene and Lyle Martens Endowed Scholarship, Arthur M. Nakatani Endowed Scholarship, CEHHHS Potential for Excellence Scholarship, National Business Education Association Merit Award, Chancellors Awards
Why did you choose UW-Stout? I chose UW-Stout after starting my college journey at UW-Eau Claire. At Eau Claire, I was going into business but didn’t have my heart set on a major. It was after hearing about what UW-Stout had to offer with the marketing and business education program from my high school teacher that I knew I was going to transfer my junior year. The program allowed me to combine my interests in education with business and marketing content.
What are the biggest obstacles you faced in earning your degree? One of the biggest obstacles was transferring to UW-Stout. It was frightening to transfer my junior year not knowing anyone. However, everyone I met at UW-Stout, whether that was students, faculty, professors, etc. made me feel welcome and like I belonged.
What stands out among your college experiences? It was the opportunities. I became involved right away in a leadership role through my major’s student organization. Through that I had multiple opportunities to travel to different places within the state to network with other professionals in education at marketing and business conferences. UW-Stout and my program helped set up these opportunities and made them possible for students to attend. Lastly, my program director was very influential. She provided me with job opportunities at the university and helped me through some of the high-level courses.
What’s next? I will be spending another month finishing my student teaching placement at St. Croix Central High School. After that, I will be looking for full-time teaching positions in marketing and business education wherever that takes me in Wisconsin or Minnesota.
###
