Students weigh in on university experience

February 20, 2009

<h2><img src="/files/images/Moya%20pic.jpg" align="left" height="200" hspace="5" vspace="5" width="150">Samuel Moya</h2>Freshman Secondary Education West campus<separator></separator>Samuel Moya, a secondary education major, has always known he would become a Sun Devil. Being involved in programs such as the Rodel Community Scholars, Young Life and Residential Life has helped him find out what interests him and what he might like to pursue in the future.<separator></separator>“ASU has done more than guide me to a major and a career – it has showed me many different paths to take,” says Moya.<separator></separator>With the help of financial aid and academic scholarships, Moya has been able to finance his education. ASU has provided him with a wide variety of courses and opportunities to help him achieve his education degree and life goals.<separator></separator>“I know that ASU offers the tools necessary to achieve my goals,” says Moya.<separator></separator>He describes his time spent at ASU to be “an engaging adventure” and says he has learned valuable lessons on how to balance his priorities.<separator></separator>“I’m having the time of my life and learning something new every day. I am looking forward to my future years here at ASU.”<separator></separator> <separator></separator><h2><img src="/files/images/snyder%20pic.jpg" align="left" height="200" hspace="5" vspace="5" width="150">Sarah Snyder</h2>Senior Literature, Writing and Film Polytechnic campus<separator></separator>I chose ASU because it offered the most benefits as a student. It is close to home and offered the most scholarship money and the most choices for degree programs.<separator></separator>I became a Literature, Writing and Film major with the encouragement and support of my writing professors and my boss at the Student Success Center.  <separator></separator>Working as a Student Success Center employee has molded my education, my desires, and has also opened up the occupation of writing to me as a career. I think that working at the Student Success Center has made me more aware of the learning process and has allowed me to make the most of my education.<separator></separator>The new humanities program on the Polytechnic campus directly benefited me because it allowed me to stay on the campus that I love, enjoy the atmosphere that is Poly and continue my education. The Literature, Writing & Film degree program is my niche.  <separator></separator>After college I plan to work and then return to higher education for my masters and then doctorate. Because of my personality, I will always enjoy being a student and lifelong learner.<separator></separator> <separator></separator><h2><img src="/files/images/Osuna%20pic.jpg" align="left" height="200" hspace="5" vspace="5" width="150">Ilse Inzunza</h2>Senior Journalism Downtown Phoenix campus<separator></separator>My family has always been strong advocates of higher education and firm believers that your college experience ultimately shapes who you become in the future.<separator></separator>That’s why for me, choosing the right college and the right major were two of the most important decisions I had to make before graduating high school.<separator></separator>Much of my decision to attend Arizona State University came from the campus tours I participated in and the students and staff who visited my junior high and high school as guest speakers. They had a willingness to answer all my questions whether they ranged from application queries or questions about a major I was considering.<separator></separator>For me, that major was journalism, and the fact that the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication was expanding its facility in downtown Phoenix really intrigued me.<separator></separator>I found their highly qualified staff and technologically advanced equipment to be extremely important in keeping their students up to par with other journalism students around the country.<separator></separator>On top of that, I would be able to ride the light rail from Tempe into Phoenix without having to drive myself.<separator></separator>A lot of what my curriculum entails at the moment feels fresh and in line with the transformation journalism is experiencing today. Everything I am learning holds a purpose, and I have never once felt that what I am learning will not in any way aid me through my future in writing.<separator></separator> <separator></separator><h2><img src="/files/images/McGuire%20pic.jpg" align="left" height="200" hspace="5" vspace="5" width="150">Megan McGuire</h2>Junior Marketing / Certificate in Business Tempe campus<separator></separator>For Megan McGuire, a junior studying marketing, it was the faculty and staff at ASU’s W. P. Carey School of Business that were her deciding factor to attend Arizona State University.<separator></separator>Their dedication and willingness to help her succeed made the college stand out from many other universities she had researched.<separator></separator>“To them I was not just a number. I was an individual with unique needs, ideas and dreams for the future,” says McGuire.<separator></separator>She also found that despite ASU’s student enrollment boasting more than 60,000 students, she could still have personalization in her classes and be open to a variety of opportunities. <separator></separator>“I have had the opportunity to participate in campuswide community service projects, interact directly with prominent alumni and university officials, and help welcome incoming freshmen to ASU each fall,” says McGuire.<separator></separator>McGuire says that she has been able to finance her education mostly through scholarships such as the Sun Devil Scholarship, as well as others she received from the W. P. Carey School. These scholarships similarly affected her decision to attend ASU.<separator></separator>Upon graduation she plans to use her business skills to help Third World countries in need of medical attention and education. McGuire will also work toward obtaining a master’s degree.<separator></separator> <separator></separator><h2><img src="/files/images/inzunza%20pic.JPG" align="left" height="200" hspace="5" vspace="5" width="150">Luz Osuna</h2>Junior Industrial Engineering Tempe campus<separator></separator>Osuna is the president of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) at ASU.<separator></separator>I have had an awesome experience during the time I have been at ASU. <separator></separator>During the summer before my senior year in high school, I participated in the Math-Science Honors Program at ASU. I was able to take a calculus class and live in the dorms. The whole experience opened up my world to so many different things and new people that I decided ASU was the place for me to go to college.<separator></separator>Also, the Industrial Engineering Department at ASU is one of the top 20 in the country, so this made my decision easier.<separator></separator>I have received many scholarships from ASU. Most notably, I received the President’s Scholarship and the Armstrong Family Foundation Scholarship. The Armstrong Family Foundation is truly a great foundation. I have had the opportunity to give back to the community through semi-annual trips to Mexico where the scholars build houses for people and conduct a food drive for a whole neighborhood.<separator></separator>Financial aid from ASU has definitely made a significant impact in my life. Without it, college would not have been a reality for me.<separator></separator>One of the resources I have found most useful as a student at ASU is the tutoring center at the Hassayampa dorms. The tutors there were very knowledgeable and dependent, and thanks to them I was able to successfully complete a course that was particularly difficult for me.<separator></separator>In addition, my adviser is amazing. She is always willing to help me with whatever she can, and her advice is always helpful. She is accessible, and she has even written letters of recommendation for me.<separator></separator>After college, I hope to start my career in a company here in the Valley while continuing to be involved with SHPE.

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