Western Michigan University

Student Ambassador

February 2019 • Kalamazoo, MI

What I liked

Working alongside my coworkers and helping students and prospective families.

What I wish was different

I wish I would have been training for tours sooner than I was.

Advice

Jobs, especially ones on campus, give you great networking opportunities. They also allow you to get experience that you otherwise wouldn’t have. When I first started this job, I was just a front desk assistant, but since then, I’ve become a Student Ambassador for the College of Arts and Sciences. If you work hard, eventually you’ll be rewarded with more responsibilities that will only give you more chances in your future career because of your experience.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Help Desk Technician

July 2021 • Kalamazoo, MI

What I liked

I like everything about this job. It pertains to my interests and the work environment is amazing.

What I wish was different

Nothing, to be honest.

Advice

You should be willing to help people and be patient with them.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Student Assistant -- Library Digitization

November 2016 • Kalamazoo, MI

What I liked

Scanning old 35mm slides, photographing medieval manuscripts, editing images, and creating workflow spreadsheets and documentation.

What I wish was different

I wish students could be considered for raises.

Advice

If you are open to it, you can learn a lot more at this job than just scanning and editing PDFs and image files.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Psychology Research Intern

May 2019 • Kalamazoo, MI

What I liked

I enjoyed helping to plan sessions and facilitating instruction and feedback. I had the pleasure of working with a supportive group of researchers who were all heavily invested in the work.

What I wish was different

I wish I had had more time to dedicate to the study. I was balancing a summer job with this research internship and devoted time in and out of the lab but would have desired to have done more.

Advice

I would suggest giving yourself extra time before and after each day to be able to talk to those around you and not have to rush out.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Undergraduate Research Assistant

April 2018 • Kalamazoo, MI

What I liked

I enjoyed working on cutting edge research no one else in the world is working on.

What I wish was different

I wish it could have continued.

Advice

Take notes on everything that you learn, I kept a journal so I can keep track of all the amazing skilled I learned on the job.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Humanitarian Team Leader

May - July 2019 • Mytilene, North Aegean Region

What I liked

As the founder of the WMU Global Leaders Program I was incredibly proud of our fifteen 2019 Global Leaders for establishing and embarking on a program to provide direct aid to refugees across the world

What I wish was different

Advice

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Student Marketing Assistant

July 2019 • Kalamazoo, MI

What I liked

Amazing people to work with! My boss is very helpful and trained me from the ground up on what I need to do.

What I wish was different

I wish I started earlier. I didn’t start earlier because I went on a holiday.

Advice

Ask whatever you don’t know.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Event Intern

May 2018 • Kalamazoo, MI

What I liked

I love how fast paced it is

What I wish was different

I wish I had more time for myself

Advice

It feels good to work hard and see the results

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Orientation Student Leader

April - July 2019 • Kalamazoo, MI

What I liked

It was an amazing experience that I was able to meet countless students and start them on their journey through Western Michigan. I was able to encourage students to get involved and in some cases directly get students involved with student organizations or jobs on campus. I also got to work with an amazing team of 34 other leaders that all had the same passion towards my university that I did.

What I wish was different

I wish the hours were shorter, working from 6am - nearly midnight everyday got to be very tiring. But the experiences I had and the friends I made made it worth it.

Advice

Make sure you go into it with a good attitude, hard work and dedication are required to get people excited everyday for a month and a half. As long as you're having fun the people around you will have fun.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Biology Laboratory Assistant

April - August 2018 • Kalamazoo, MI

What I liked

Learning more about research and hands on work

What I wish was different

I wish I could have done it for longer

Advice

Be persistent with professors if you want to get in their lab.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Undergraduate Research Assistant

May 2019 • Kalamazoo, MI

What I liked

I liked that the project I worked on was a combined project between the CEAS and the CHHS. I liked getting to do work that I know will benefit a historically overlooked community (people who are blind/low vision).

What I wish was different

I wish I had more hours! This project was a great experience and I love spending time working on it.

Advice

I would say that if you are interested in research, do not hesitate to ask a professor. They are almost always thrilled to have someone interested and will have ideas for how you should get started.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Human Resources Intern

May 2018 • Kalamazoo, MI

What I liked

That it was 100% directly related to my major. I'm doing the work people usually don't do until the 2-3 years into their careers. I'm also learning more things about HR than I've learned in a regular classroom setting.

What I wish was different

Nothing, I am absolutely blessed to have gotten the chance to do an internship at this level so early on in my college career.

Advice

People think they have to "wait" until their junior or senior year of college to start looking for an internship but that isn't true. The earlier you get your foot in the door the better. That means applying to any and all opportunities that come your way. I was a freshman who stumbled upon a job posting on handshake that "preferred" applicants that were rising juniors or seniors. I ended up being the first freshman in that particular internship program to receive an offer and accept it. Anything is possible, regardless of your academic standing, age, etc.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Orientation Student Leader

May - June 2019 • Kalamazoo, MI

What I liked

The people, the job, the experience

What I wish was different

Nothing

Advice

Be yourself and have fun

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Direct Support Professional

September 2018 • Kalamazoo, MI

What I liked

I like that this job gives me experience directed towards the medical field. It offers training in CPR, First Aid, recipient rights, cultural diversity, and much more in order to make it's employees well-rounded.

What I wish was different

Nothing.

Advice

One piece of advice I would share about this experience is to take advantage of this opportunity if you will be working in a doctors office / hospital setting one day!

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Print Center Manager

September 2015 • Kalamazoo, MI

What I liked

I have loved working here. My boss is great, and so are the people I work with.

What I wish was different

I only wish for more organization because it can get really hectic.

Advice

Customer service experience can translate to almost any job you will ever have and I'm super happy I've had the opportunity to practice mine.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Welcome Desk/Concierge Desk Representative

May 2018 • Kalamazoo, MI

What I liked

Learning how to become a better problem solver and quick thinker, as well as boosting professional skills in a workplace.

What I wish was different

Advice

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Resident Manager

April 2018 • Kalamazoo, MI

What I liked

The autonomy of the job. I am told what I have to do and when it has to be done, but I can do it on my own time and in whatever way is most beneficial for me.

What I wish was different

There have been some unnecessary meetings. Things that have been discussed could easily have gone in an email, rather than making me come into the office for 10 minutes and then dismissing me.

Advice

You have to be able to balance your time extremely well. You think you have a lot of time, but then when you start doing a lot of the job requirements, you realize how much time they're actually going to take. So you need to balance school with work very efficiently.

Be the first to mark this as helpful