Sophia Schmidt
Student Q & A
Pronouns: she/her
Hometown and state or country: Overland Park, KS
Year in School: Second year graduate student
College: Walton College of Business
Major of Study: Master in Business Administration
Tell us something about your academic passions and how those relate to your role in Student Affairs program or department?
I am currently pursuing an MBA with a concentration in Marketing. My role as a graduate assistant for the Arkansas Union aligns perfectly with my love for creating unique content such as appealing graphics, posting on social media and everything that falls under the marketing umbrella. I also find myself enjoying the event planning side of things, the Union is the center of campus and a hub for thousands of students daily, this allows me the opportunity to have hands on experience working the logistics of planning a wide range of events and activities.
What has been your greatest experience outside of the classroom?
One of the greatest experiences I had was this past summer on a study abroad trip to Chile. My entire MBA cohort of 40 students got the amazing opportunity to take a 3 weeklong trip to Chile. It was one of the hardest but coolest experiences in my life so far. We visited cities such as Santiago, Santa Cruz, Vina del Mar and Valparaiso, just to name a few. Throughout the trip we hiked, visited wineries, took cooking classes, visited local businesses and so much more. The idea of this global immersion trip was to learn how to be comfortable in the uncomfortable. I say that because we had to learn how to navigate a country where barely anyone spoke English. This gave us the chance to really dive into the Chilean culture and see many incredible sites. It was a trip I will remember forever.
What advice would you give new students about getting involved on campus?
There is a club or organization for everyone! Getting involved on campus and in student affairs was one of the best decisions I made. Follow clubs, RSOs, organizations on social media and if it seems like something you may be interested don’t hesitate to reach out, there is always a place for everyone. Take full advantage of being a student, there is so much this campus has to offer!
What do you like to do with your time outside of the university?
Outside of school you can find me traveling! I love taking weekend trips to see new places or to visit friends. You may also find me going on walks, hanging out with friends or writing in my journal.
When do you plan to graduate and what is coming next for you?
I will be finishing my master’s degree in May and after graduation I plan on moving outside of NWA. I love it here, but I want to experience somewhere else while I am young. I don’t have a particular industry that I want to focus in on, my passions are sports, fashion and traveling so I am truly open to any opportunity that comes my way. I would love to move to a big city so we will see where life takes me!
Is there anything else you would like to add or let our readers know?
Something I will leave you with is to always make time for yourself. Life gets busy, things come up but mental health and physical wellbeing is important and can sometimes be put on the back burner. Find something you are passionate about and incorporate that into your life somehow. Life isn’t all about work (or school), even though that is what keeps us stable, you need to save time for just living, life’s too short.