For Emily Munsell, learning the importance of asking questions – and how to ask questions – was one of the most-important skills she obtained while a student at SBU, which helped her in both the classroom and her career.
Emily graduated with a degree in computer information science, and now works as a platform engineer with ServiceNow for Chick-fil-A, after beginning her career as an IT associate at the Chick-fil-A headquarters in Atlanta.
“Oftentimes, starting a new job is so overwhelming because of all the information coming in during the first week or month,” Emily said. “It’s the same way in a classroom: asking questions made my assignments so much easier to comprehend. Knowing how to ask questions can drastically lower the learning curve.
“Additionally, my courses at SBU equipped me with the ability to understand complex technological problems and how to use critical thinking and agile processes to develop solutions. From my first day (on the job), I could tell my education had prepared me to be the best employee I could be.”
And, the support Emily received from SBU faculty impacted her life academically, personally and professionally.
“I remember going to Dr. Jeff Kimball in tears my freshman year because of an assignment and learning the valuable lesson of asking for help,” Emily said. “Dr. Tim DeClue was my advisor for my senior project and taught me the importance of faithfulness, integrity and respect when working with individuals from the Missouri Governor’s Office.”
Emily also traveled the country with Mrs. Meilani Conley competing with Phi Beta Lambda, leading SBU’s small chapter to victories over large Division-I schools, and learning perseverance, courage and leadership. Under the guidance of Dr. Jim Cain, she learned to lock down her online presence to advert identity theft; and, Dr. Baochuan Lu “taught me how to pull creative solutions from difficult problems and value the diversity within and beyond our classroom.”
Emily still appreciates the uniqueness of SBU and enjoys sharing her academic and campus experiences.
“I tell people that I never had a graduate assistant teaching any of my classes and I could walk into my professors’ offices without an appointment, and they look at me like I’m crazy,” Emily says. “Additionally, the investment of leadership to understand the pulse of the student body through forums or surveys and act upon those responses is incredible.
“The culture is so encouraging, nurturing and spiritually uplifting. I didn’t realize how blessed I was to attend such a wonderful university.”