The Professor Who Impacted My Life Unexpectedly

For my blog post, I wanted to talk about the professor who has impacted my life unexpectedly. Before I go into that, I want to provide a little back story into how I met this professor. After graduating from high school, I decided to attend Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, Oregon. Leading into my first term, I wanted to study exercise science/kinesiology to pursue a career in personal training. Like most students in college, I decided to switch my major to business administration with no clear direction as to what I would do in that specific field of work. My initial thoughts were that pursuing business administration as a major would be a broad enough degree, and I would have multiple job options once I graduated.

After a challenging first year, I decided to leave La Grande and return home to Bend, Oregon, to attend OSU-Cascades. In my first term at OSU-Cascades, I took general business classes but then decided to switch my major again to pursue becoming a high school teacher--thinking that was what I wanted to do with my life. I completed the rest of my second year at OSU-Cascades, taking the appropriate classes towards becoming a teacher, but I just wasn’t satisfied. After a lot of convincing from my friends and family, I had decided to return to Eastern Oregon University and switch my major back to business administration. Except for this time, I chose a specific concentration that ended up being marketing and advertising. It was at this point in my story, where I met the professor who has impacted my life unexpectedly.

In my first term back at Eastern Oregon University, I signed up to take a Principles of Marketing class with Dr. Shari Carpenter. After meeting and being in class with Dr. Carpenter, I knew that marketing was what I wanted to do with my life. As I went on through the year, I got closer and closer to Dr. Carpenter. Later, she asked me to join her new class called TheAgency@EOU, which is when I learned more than just marketing. Dr. Carpenter has been essential in my growth and development as a student, professional, and as a person. Her advice and life wisdom is something I will always lean back on in times of struggle and will be thankful for in times of prosperity.

Examples of what Dr. Carpenter has taught me include:

• Time management/Organization

• Communication inside an agency and outside to clients

• Sales techniques

• Presenting to clients

• Smart and thoughtful decision making

• Holding yourself accountable

• Self improvement

These are just a few examples of what Dr. Carpenter has done for me, and I know I am not the only one she has helped grow into the best they can be. We are all not perfect, but if you listen and work with Dr. Carpenter, you can damn well bet she is going to get you as close to perfect as you can be.