by guest blogger Olivia Helbach, a sophomore at Amherst High School
Today I am spending the day with Marty Loy, dean of the UW-Stevens Point College of Professional Studies. I’m a part of a program called Teen Leadership Portage County, where each of us has a mentor. We meet 2-4 times within the year and see what they do for their job! I’m a sophomore at Amherst High School and chose Marty Loy as my mentor.
So far today I’ve experienced a lot! I started off by sitting in on a meeting with Dean Loy and one of the faculty members. They discussed what could be improved within her portion of the program, and what was already doing well. Afterwards was another meeting about planning a separate meeting (my head was sort of spinning at that point)!
I then spent an hour and a half with Eva Donohoo, who’s in charge of communications. She showed me the different social media and blogs that CPS has. I attended a meeting with her, and then she told me about the study abroad program, which I am very interested in being a part of once I’m in college. Eva asked me if I wanted to write a guest blog about my experience here, and here I am typing!!
Then Kristi Roth and her student assistant Josh, who works with technology, showed me some of the new technology here … it was so cool! There was a pen, called a SMART pen that could record a lecture. As you’re writing notes on the lecture, however, you can go back and click on something you wrote and it will recite what the professor said at that point in time.
Another device was called a Swivl, and it was a little stand that a professor could set their iPad on while it’s recording, and as they walked around the room, the Swivl would … well … swivel in their direction.
Then Eva took me to the beginning of a marketing class where a professor was dressed up like Darth Vader for Halloween.
The food here at the CPS Cafe where we had lunch is extremely good, and is all made from foods from local businesses and farms. After lunch I took a tour of the campus and attended another meeting with Dean Loy!
Today was very eventful … I hardly had a break! This experience was meant for me to see what the dean does at UW-Stevens Point, and I found my answer. He’s a hardworking man who cares a lot about his university and faculty. Everyone here is so kind and welcoming, I couldn’t have asked for a better time. So many people make what goes on at UWSP happen. Thank you so much UW-Stevens Point and College of Professional Studies for letting me come and see what life’s like around here for a day!!
