On Dec. 18, UW–Madison will celebrate its Winter 2022 Commencement. We reached out to a few of our students who are graduating from programs in the School of Education to learn about their favorite UW–Madison memories and future plans. Following is a Q&A with Emma Thelke, who is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in education studies and political science.
Where are you from, and what brought you to UW–Madison?
I’m from Waukesha, Wisconsin, and a few things went into my decision to go to UW. I initially felt like I wanted to leave the state, but I soon realized how much I loved Wisconsin. I have spent my whole life in the state and loved traveling to Madison as a kid in the summers. Being able to attend a school with great academics in an interesting city that is a good distance from my support systems at home just felt like the best decision.
How did you choose your majors?
I initially came into college undecided, but planned on majoring in something related to the social sciences. I was interested in international studies, political science, sociology, and anthropology, so when I was registering for classes during SOAR I signed up for the globalism, world regions, and globalizing education FIG (first-year interest group). My mom is a teacher and seeing what that entailed showed me that it was not the career for me, but I liked that the FIG offered intro classes in anthropology and international studies. Once I started the semester, however, I realized how much I liked the main class: Globalizing Education with Professor Hawkins. When I learned that education policy was an actual field I could go into, I felt like it combined my interests in politics, education, and sociology and was the perfect major for me.
What was your most meaningful experience at UW–Madison?
The most meaningful experience I had at UW isn’t necessarily a good experience. Halfway through the spring semester my freshman year the pandemic shut the word down. The rest of my time in college has been greatly shaped by COVID-19, in both good ways and bad. Moving to online classes for the first time in my life taught me a lot about myself as a learner and it helped me learn how to communicate better with my professors and peers, as well as teaching me how to be a more independent learner. It was a hard adjustment, but I ended up making a lot of really close friends with the people in my “bubble” and I ironically got out of my shell a lot more because I had to put in 10 times more effort to reach out to people.
"Moving to online classes for the first time in my life taught me a lot about myself as a learner and it helped me learn how to communicate better with my professors and peers, as well as teaching me how to be a more independent learner."
What class or professor had the greatest impact on you, and why?
I would say there are a few professors who have had a significant impact on me. The first was Professor Rodriguez-Gomez. I took two classes with her my sophomore year and I really enjoyed the way she was able to teach in such a personable way when we were all at home. She was always open to talk about what we were learning in class or other topics I was interested in during office hours, and she helped me think deeply about what I was learning.
More recently, I had Dr. Smolarek this fall semester for a class on qualitative research and the class has helped me understand how the world of academic research works. I’ve thought a lot about going to grad school to get a PhD in education, but I was unsure of how any of it worked. Through this class, I have been able to see a step-by-step guide on how to create a research proposal, and the conversations I’ve had with Dr. Smolarek have given me a lot of insight into a world that has felt very mysterious to me for the past four years.
Another professor that has had a great impact on me is Professor Turner. I took a class with her last spring and really enjoyed the content, so I ended up doing an independent reading class with her this semester. Professor Turner has been incredibly accommodating to the learning curve I’ve faced with having a more self-directed class, and the discussions we have about my research topic have helped guide my research in a direction I wouldn’t have gone without her help. Like Dr. Smolarek, Dr. Turner has been incredibly helpful in understanding what the world of academic research looks like and the next steps I can take in my career.
Did you participate in any study abroad programs, internship programs, or community activities? If yes, what were your experiences like?
I never had the chance to study abroad, but I was involved in some things here at UW. Beginning in my sophomore year I joined Bell Magazine, which is a magazine on campus that looks at campus issues and current events through an intersectional feminist lens. Through this, I have been able to write about topics I’m interested in and I have had the unique experience of having my writing read by an actual audience. I later became an editor and this semester I am a managing editor, which has been an amazing experience that has helped further develop my ability to read critically and develop my skills as a writer.
What do you know now that you wish you had known when you started at UW–Madison?
The majority of people who come into college planning on going to law school won’t actually go to law school; this includes myself. This speaks to a bigger phenomenon where people like to share their lofty goals and their impressive successes. For me, engaging in these conversations can lead to a lot of imposter syndrome and feeling like I haven’t done enough to consider myself successful, and I have learned that 1) we all go to the same school and are just trying to get a degree, and 2) the most important thing is to focus on myself and making sure I am trying my hardest to do things I love. Focusing on myself and learning to be confident in my own abilities has really helped me tune out the anxiety and imposter syndrome, and it is a skill that I wish I had learned a lot earlier in college.
What’s next for you? What are your plans for the future?
After graduation I am planning on taking some time to work and figure out how to be a person/adult outside of school. I currently work in the governor’s office part-time and I plan on staying there for the time being, and that may lead to a career I want to do for the rest of my life. Beyond that, however, I am really interested in going to graduate school to get a PhD in education policy. The independent reading project I’m working on right now focuses on how neoliberal education policies impact students with disabilities and their educational outcomes, and I would really like to continue researching this down the line.
You’re a UW–Madison expert now. What’s one thing every Badger should experience before they graduate?
There are more obvious things like going to football games or sitting at the Union Terrace that I could say, but I think something else I really love about UW is the nature all around campus. When I’m stressed or I haven’t seen the sun for weeks in the winter, I like to go for a walk on the Lakeshore Path. The nature is beautiful and calming and one of my favorite places on campus is the bench overlooking Lake Mendota near Tripp Hall. It’s also just nice seeing the people walking around. Since college can sometimes be a very isolating experience, being able to see people of all ages walking around and enjoying nature alongside me is really refreshing.