Maddy Saunders makes personal connections to find her path

Major: Sociology & Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Certificate
Year: Senior
Expected Graduation: May 2019
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
Involvement on Campus: Vice President of Ukulele Club, Secretary of Active Minds, Student Leader at Shively Dining Hall

How did you choose Ohio University?

When I visited, it was really pretty, and I liked the feeling of walking on campus and being here.

How did you choose your major, and what excites you most about it?

As a freshman, I visited the CLDC because I was undecided and it was a requirement for my learning community. I looked into three different majors and worked with Jodi Pavol to identify what I wanted to do. I decided I wanted to study abroad in Denmark my sophomore year, and I had to declare a major before I left. I knew I wanted to do something in the liberal arts, so I just poked around and read the class descriptions for sociology. Since they all looked fun, I just went for it and left the country for six months. I love learning about people and interacting with people. Sociology is like psychology without science, and since I don’t like biology and science classes, it’s perfect. I’m so curious about how society was formed and how people join different groups, so I like it a lot.

Have you ever used career or leadership training services on campus?

I started going to the CLDC my freshman year and sophomore year. I also went a lot my junior year to start talking about potential careers, and I’ve attended a few career fairs.

Have you taken on any leadership roles at OHIO? If so, please describe.

I’m the Vice President of the Ukulele Club, which is super fun. My largest leadership role, however, is being a student leader at Shively. I always talk about it in interviews because I get to work with a lot of students across the board. In my other leadership roles, the members are usually united and want the same things, so it’s easy to make decisions and delegate tasks. My experience at Shively has really shaped my leadership skills because the workers there aren’t always on the same page as me, so I have to be firm and understand that everyone there doesn’t have to like me. I have to convince people who don’t willingly want to do tasks to listen to what I have to say and make it happen.

Tell us about one of your most significant career development experiences at OHIO.

The most helpful thing for me was seeing Jodi for four years. Because she started to know me and what I was looking for, she knew how to help me and always gave me meaningful advice. Every opportunity I’ve had goes back to something we talked about before and identified that I wanted.

What is your favorite thing about being a Bobcat?

Absolutely the people. In Denmark, I was wearing an OHIO shirt and met someone who studied abroad here for a semester. The Bobcat family is cheesy, but very real. Athens just seems to unite people.

What advice would you give to your fellow Bobcats?

Use the services that are free to you while you can. Go to the CLDC for career help and go to Hudson for counseling because it’s all free now. Enjoy these opportunities on campus now because they’re all in one spot.

What will you be doing after graduation, and how did you get that job?

I have a position with AmeriCorps in Milwaukee, Wisconsin after I graduate. I’ll be working with underprivileged college students from populations that weren’t expected to go to school. I’ll be working with their transition to college life, helping them do their FAFSA, connecting them with resources around their college and other things like that.

Interview conducted by Hannah Schuller, Content Marketing Intern for the CLDC