Sarah
My name is Sarah, and I began my academic journey at Penn State as an undecided student in the Division of Undergraduate Studies in 2004. I had many interests and I knew that I enjoyed working with people, but I struggled with understanding how I could connect that to a career. As a first-year student, I signed up to live in Discover House (a living-learning community for undecided students). As a D-House student, I took advantage of different events and speakers that were designed to help me think intentionally about my skills and values while also gaining important information about the majors and programs offered at Penn State. To further explore different directions, I met with my DUS academic adviser, who gave me lots of ideas and encouraged me to think critically about the decisions I needed to make. I did a lot of personal reflection before eventually deciding that a major in the College of Communications was the best fit in helping me to develop the skills that I needed for a creative career where I could interact with and help others.
During my time at Penn State, I worked as the program assistant for Discover House, interned with the Office of Student Activities, and volunteered with a variety of campus offices and events. My most meaningful and challenging experience as a student was studying abroad for a semester in Sevilla, Spain, where I lived with a Spanish family and took classes at a local university. Through my co-curricular experiences as well as many conversations with various professionals and advisers, I realized that much of my passion and energy was focused on helping college students transition and be successful in their educational journey. When I graduated from Penn State in 2009 with a BA in Advertising/Public Relations, I went on to earn my M.Ed. in the College Student Personnel program at the University of Maryland. I currently work as a student affairs professional, and I use my counseling, teaching, and mentoring skills to support college students every day. I am so happy to be in this profession and am very grateful for all of the advice and guidance that I received from DUS.
My recommendation to current DUS students is to take your time and get involved in activities and classes that interest you. Ask questions and explore your options so that when you make a decision about what to study, you know that you are making an informed choice.
