Student Profile: Who is Samantha Savaglio?

Regular readers have seen Samantha Savaglio's byline on dozens of Ranger Today articles during fall semester. Sam graduates from UW-Parkside Sunday with a communication degree and we'd like you to meet our prized student writer.

Sam met Assistant Chancellor for University Relations and Advancement John Jaraczewski at the Athletics golf outing, and upon learning she was a UW-Parkside student and an aspiring writer, he encouraged her to consider writing for UR&A.

"He told me his department was looking for an intern and every time I came around he said 'Send me your resume, send me your resume,'" Samantha recalls. "And I got his card and sent him my resume and some sample writing I had."

That led to an interview with Marketing and Publications Director John Mielke and her first day on the job on the first day of fall semester classes. Then she started writing...and writing.

"I wrote for Ranger Today, I searched for and put events on the campus calendar, I helped John [Mielke] with the Constant Contact emails both to alumni and stakeholders, I managed the Facebook page, Twitter page," Samantha said. The hours spent reporting on the campus paid unexpected dividends: they made her feel she was more a part of the university community.

"The past four years I've been here I was never really engaged with the campus community," said Samantha, who lives at home. "I was here for school and studying and then I would leave. So, this opportunity definitely helped me to learn more about my university?more than I ever knew before?and I got to meet the community which is a huge thing--organizations, people, faculty, staff--that I had never even heard of I got to interview and I got to know. I felt like I was actually part of the community and not just 'a student.'"

Samantha said now she wants to tell people to get involved because, "Until you actually do it, you don't know what you're missing."

Her favorite Ranger Today assignments involved stories she wrote on UW-Parkside's global education partnerships because Samantha always wanted to study abroad. The best takeaway from the job was overcoming her natural shyness and  discovering that, "people really do love to talk about themselves, if you ask them the right questions."

Both her desire to travel and being more assertive will help her, she said, when she lands her ultimate job working for National Geographic.

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ABOUT THIS STORY:

Story Status: Archived
Publish date: 12/11/2012

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