PNW may not offer a major in Life Lessons, but that has not stopped senior Makaela Voyles from learning a few in her time here.
Voyles, a senior Chemistry major, is closing out her ninth semester on campus. Despite a challenging major with rigorous coursework, she found time between classes through the years to learn invaluable lessons about life.
“I’m a first-generation student, so generally being in college has been a big learning experience for me,” she said. “I didn’t have anyone in my family to walk me through it, so I had to figure out how to balance life with school as an adult.
“On top of going to classes and making time for homework, I had to schedule to take care of my house and myself, and balance that with working,” said Voyles.
It was difficult to find a job at first, because of Voyles’ busy academic schedule and limited availability.
“I’ve worked on and off throughout school, but I’ve learned that a lot of employers don’t like to hire college students because they don’t want to have to work with your schedule,” she said. “Luckily I found a job my sophomore year that is okay with that, and I’ve stuck with them.”
Voyles also had to track down internships relating to her major.
“I want to go into pharmaceuticals when I graduate, and my greatest hope is to get a job with Eli Lilly,” she said.
In four and a half years, Voyles said she has had to learn the proper way to study in order to make it through her intense coursework.
“Learning how to study has been a great accomplishment for me while I’ve been here,” she said. “I didn’t really have to study back in high school. Classes were easy, and I never worried much about studying for things. I learned to utilize different studying styles for each class that I took because there’s no one right way to do it.”
More than anything else, Voyles values that her professors have taught her to be humble.
“The most important thing that I learned during my time at PNW that I plan to take with me into my career is humility,” she said, “I have met some people that work in my field that think they have the answers to everything. But …my professors here at PNW have taught me to be humble and not be afraid to admit if I don’t know something, and to ask others for help.”