UWGB Transformed Jena by…

…allowing her to spread her wings as a social (media) butterfly.

On a typical college campus, students can be seen walking to and from class, clutching their cell phones, updating their Twitter feed or Facebook accounts, and taking selfies to post on Instagram. Jena Richter used to be one of those students, a self-professed “social media butterfly,” but she never thought of her digital communication skills as a means to a career.

Screen Shot 2016-01-05 at 9.25.50 AM“UWGB helped me acknowledge my passion for social media and turn it into a viable career path,” Jena says. “From my first MSN Blog to Twitter, I was always ahead of my peers when it came to social media, but I never recognized public relations, marketing, and social media as my career calling. I didn’t even know what PR truly was!”

From the very beginning of her UWGB education, Jena immersed herself in anything and everything social media. In her earlier years, Jena promoted her very own radio show as a DJ for the campus radio station and helped promote events put on by the Leadership Task Force. Later, Jena served as the Social Media Coordinator for Phlash TV, worked as the Marketing and Communication Assistant for Residence Life, and completed a Communication Capstone Course titled, “Cases in Crisis Communication and Media Management.”

Despite all of her hard work, Jena admits that it was only possible because of the hard work of her UWGB teachers and mentors.

“Phil Clampitt is an amazing professor because he not only teaches students, but he also instills in them the skills that will make them successful in the post-grad world,” Jena insists. “Besides what I learned in the classroom, from his textbooks, and from the group work assigned by him, Phil also believed in me and provided me with opportunities to grow outside of the classroom.”

One of Jena’s opportunities included working with Phil Clampitt as a Research Assistant and presenting findings on leadership at the 12th Annual UW-Green Bay Academic Symposium. Jena was also able to help develop a brand new course for the Communication department titled “Social Media Strategies.”  In addition to Phil Clampitt, Jena also credits Todd Sanders, Social Media Specialist, as Jena worked closely with Todd as an intern, “learning the ins and outs of social media in higher education and helping him execute crazy ideas.” Jena considers her time as his intern as a wonderful opportunity to work with one of the “best in the biz.”

Now, serving as UWGB’s Social Media Specialist, Jena feels that her UWGB experience was truly a special one.

“I feel UWGB is unique because I had all of these opportunities to work alongside staff and faculty to develop my skills and passions. I know this is what made me the social media professional that I am today,” Jena explains. “I work here, and when I am not at work, you can’t get me to shut up about how great UWGB is! I still need to pinch myself every once in a while.”

Name: Jena Richter

Grad Year: 2013

Major: Communication

Minor: Corporate Communication

 

Photos submitted by: Jena Richter, UWGB

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We’ve asked alumni to either share stories of how their lives were transformed by the UWGB  experience or how they are making the world a better place with transformational work in their careers, homes, or volunteer experiences. As UWGB celebrates its 50th Anniversary, meet an alum each week who has experienced a “UW-Green Bay Transformation.” Stories were self-submitted and then edited by Zachary Taylor, a 2010 English Education graduate currently serving as Interim Associate Director of the Phuture Phoenix program.

UWGB Transformed Clarice by…

…teaching her how to think.

From the very beginning of her UWGB experience, Clarice Tuinstra felt as if she was in an odd limbo. “I started college at age 22, when most people graduate. I didn’t follow the typical path of attending college directly after high school, but I was far too young to be an ‘adult’ student,” Clarice explains.

She returned to school because she disliked working retail and felt that her best option was to earn a degree. “I felt having a college education was still better than having nothing but a high school diploma, and when I started I was unsure of myself,” Clarice says. “I was unsure of my abilities, my talent, and even my intelligence. I hadn’t been in school for four years, and I wasn’t sure how well I would do.”

During her time at UWGB, Clarice says she learned how to be more assertive. “I took charge of group projects. I learned that writing creatively could be twice as hard as any analysis. Now, I can think for myself. I learn quickly, I understand instructions and I can analyze better than many. This, and I can write a beautiful sentence on occasion,” Clarice explains.

Clarice reflects on the guidance and wisdom she gleaned from Stefan Hall, Rebecca Meacham, Chuck Rybak, Aeron Haynie, Eric Shockley, and Cliff Abbott, asserting that, “Each brought something individual to the classroom.” Clarice insists all of her professors taught her that, “It is not just about reading books, writing opinion pieces, and hoping to be a novelist. Can writing be an art? Yes. Can it be a science? Yes, it can be that too. Collectively, these professors taught me to be more open to knowledge. They taught me to discover the world for myself. They taught me facts, yes, but they also taught me how to think.”

 

Name: Clarice Tuinstra

Grad Year: 2014

Major: Creative Writing

Minor: Communication

 

UWGB Transformed Susan by…

…embracing interdisciplinarity to make the impossible possible.

UW-Green Bay is known for its many high-quality academic programs, but for Susan Frost, UWGB’s Adult Degree program proved to be life changing. “What I remember is the very personal involvement and support that the staff of the Adult Degree program provided,” Susan says. “This was a formula for success. It was comforting and encouraging, and it was powerful in retention and in motivation. The people involved changed my life.”

When Susan arrived on the UWGB campus, she was already a successful business woman and in fact, Susan brought her secretary along for the ride.

“We both earned degreeFrost, Susans,” Susan recalls, “and when I started, I came to get a piece of paper to nail to my office wall that said I was ‘certifiably smart.’ What I got was something far more important, much to my surprise.” Susan asserts that her UWGB experience provided her with a deeper understanding of how interdisciplinarity works in the marketplace, crucial to her future success in the business world. “This understanding allowed me to transform my business from an ordinary advertising agency to a marketing company that has survived the test of time, when others have fallen, because true marketing is based in the humanities and understanding the human condition,” Susan says.

Of course, Susan did not arrive at this conclusion on her own. She credits Bill Laatsch for “engaging me in topics I never thought I’d like and teaching me how to teach,” Fritz Fischbach who “taught problem solving and helped me define my life’s work and passion,” and Cheryl Grosso whose class “let me put my toe in the water and understand that I could earn a degree.” And not surprisingly, Susan gleaned insight from a truly eclectic, interdisciplinary group of UWGB educators. “As anyone can see, this is an interdisciplinary education,” Susan explains, “and this why I have donated to the university. I want other students to have this amazing experience.”

Embracing this sense of interdisciplinarity, Susan has engaged herself to make a lasting impact on her community. “I have a very comprehensive understanding of how the dynamics within a community play out, and it has given me a foundation to contribute to the community I love by serving on the Neville, the Brown County Historical Society, the Founders Association, and the Evergreen Productions Board in a way I never could have in the past,” Susan insists. “None of this would have happened without the transformative experience of the university which provided me with the tools needed to provide broad community education.”

Now working as an Associate Lecturer, Susan says that UWGB helped make the impossible possible.

“My UWGB experience not only assured me of my ‘smartness,’ but it also opened the door to obtaining a master’s degree at UW-Milwaukee, something I never imagined possible,” Susan explains. “For all of this, I am eternally grateful to this institution. I owe it to the professors who opened so many doors, a profound debt which I try to repay with every student I touch now as an Associate Lecturer: again, this is something I never imagined was possible.”

Name: Susan Frost
Grad Year: 1997
Major: Business, Communications, and Humanistic Studies

Photo submitted by: Susan Frost

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We’ve asked alumni to either share stories of how their lives were transformed by the UWGB  experience or how they are making the world a better place with transformational work in their careers, homes, or volunteer experiences. As UWGB celebrates its 50th Anniversary, meet an alum each week who has experienced a “UW-Green Bay Transformation.” Stories were self-submitted and then edited by Zachary Taylor, a 2010 English Education graduate currently serving as Interim Associate Director of the Phuture Phoenix program.