For many Walla Walla University students, education extends beyond the classroom and into offices, facilities and programs across campus. Student employment provides financial support while giving students opportunities to develop professional skills, assume meaningful responsibilities and apply their education to real-world challenges.
Laura Gomez, WWU senior cybersecurity and information systems double major, began working in academic advisement the summer before her freshman year. What started with answering emails, calculating GPAs and updating academic guidebooks grew to include responsibilities involving JumpStart, system testing and technical support for the records office.
Her experience eventually helped inspire a new online system for producing academic guidebooks. The existing process relied on Word documents and edits submitted in several formats, making updates inefficient and prone to error. Working with Elyssa Sumendap, classmate; Jonathan Solis, supervisor; and Preston Carman, academic adviser, Gomez helped design a more consistent process and develop a website now used by the university.
The project allowed Gomez to draw on her coursework in cybersecurity and information systems while learning to understand users’ needs, communicate with different audiences and turn a large problem into manageable steps.
“It has given me more confidence that my education is directly translating to the work I’ve done in advisement and records, and vice versa,” Gomez said.
Anmol Sandhu, WWU senior mechanical engineering major, has also used campus employment to solve practical problems. After beginning as an enrollment assistant his freshman year, he now supervises a team of five to six students. Sandhu schedules shifts, trains employees, tracks the team’s progress and helps prospective students complete enrollment requirements.
Although the position does not directly relate to mechanical engineering, Sandhu said it has taught him to communicate clearly, lead a team and solve problems with limited resources. He also developed a web application that gives enrollment assistants customizable scripts and templates for communicating with prospective students.
Gabrielle Townsend, WWU senior exercise science pre-occupational therapy major, has strengthened similar skills through her work as a campus tour guide and ASWWU Outdoors director. Planning activities requires her to manage a budget, coordinate participants and staff, delegate responsibilities and adapt to last-minute changes. Giving tours has also taught her how intentional kindness can quickly create connections with prospective students from different backgrounds.
Together, these experiences have helped Townsend develop time management, communication and leadership skills while discovering how her interests can become avenues for service.
“Through these experiences,” Townsend said, “I have been able to explore my own passions and interests by serving people.”
See for yourself! Schedule a campus visit and explore opportunities to learn through a campus job.
