NSE: An Experience Never Forgotten
Written by Olivia Throssell
“NSE is for ... adventurists!” stated Mikyla Wood, a 22 year old Marketing major from Moscow, Idaho, who just completed her first year in the National Student Exchange (NSE) program here at the University of Hawaii at Hilo (UH Hilo). Having been excited by the prospect of attending a university in the Aloha State, Wood thought, why not? It’s Hawaii.
What she did not realize was just how beneficial her time at UH Hilo would be to her university experience and future career.
When Wood first came up with the idea to go to Hawaii, she mainly considered the fact UH Hilo happened to have a small student population which subsequently provides students with small class sizes. “It’s more beneficial to students’ learning if they have a smaller class size, so that they can actually get help from their professors,” Wood explained.
During her second semester at UH Hilo, the Marketing major applied for a job with the New Student Programs (NSP). She ended up employed as their Marketing Manager. The position came with many responsibilities, the primary ones being informing students about upcoming events, designing flyers, building a program Instagram account and monitoring its Facebook page.
NSE participant, UH Hilo Marketing major, and NSE employee, Mikayla Wood. Photo courtesy of Mikayla Wood.
Perfect for Wood, the job allowed her to both work and strive toward her graduation and career goals. “I learned how to create and implement effective promotional material for an organization.
I also learned how to create an SWOT analysis,” she asserts, “and use that information to create a more effective marketing plan from my marketing classes taught by Dr. Dewitt. Dr. Martin, who taught Market Research, taught me how to audit marketing effectiveness for local business[es]. I feel I was able to take all that I learned from Dr. Martin and Dr. Dewitt and apply it effectively as the NSP marketing manager.”
Wood’s experiences with the NSE, NSP And UH Hilo were perfect additions to her resume and helped her better understand her future goals.
Wood also took part in many island and university events which exposed her to the culture and people of Hawaii while visiting the Big Island. Through the numerous hours she donated at beach clean ups, she gave back to the land she temporarily called home. Moreover, she attended SAC events and has concluded that the Hobbit Study Hall turned out to be one of her favorites as it gave her time to relax and study in a social setting. Wood further applauds Uh Hilo’s constant use of local bands on campus; she enjoyed attending The Flow and listening to the variety of music exclusive to the island.
Uh Hilo provided an experience that the 22 year-old will never forget. “UH Hilo is one of the most diverse campuses I've ever been to,” she declares. “It's a great opportunity to meet people from all over the world. UH Hilo is also very welcoming, I've never seen so many events and opportunities to get involved at any other campus. No matter what you are interested in, you'll find a club or group that is interested in the same type of thing and that is wonderful. The class size is great because you can actually get to know most of the other students in your class and it's very easy to make friends.”
