Keeping an Open Mind:
Emily Sharpe, Honors Advisor
By Brandon Schafer
Be willing to work
Emily Sharpe is an honors advisor at Western Carolina University.
When asked what advice she has for students entering the job
market, she says, “Keep an open mind. Be willing to
work your way up the ladder and expand your comfort zone.”
When Sharpe arrived as a student at Ball State University,
she had no idea what she wanted to do for a career. She decided
to major in English because her favorite high school English
teacher had told her she was a talented writer. Since she
liked reading, Sharpe settled on a literature concentration.
Opening different doors
After graduating from Ball State, Sharpe worked for a local
magazine. It was there that she decided she wanted to be editor
in chief of a magazine. “My editor in chief told me
that if I wanted to go any higher in the business, I needed
a master’s degree.” With her career goal in mind,
Sharpe entered Western’s graduate program. She opted
for the newly opened Professional Writing program, which she
says opened up a lot of doors for her. “I really got
to know the faculty and students here.”
A side effect of Sharpe’s time in graduate school was
that she learned she liked working with students. Sharpe says
that when she first decided she wanted to be an editor in
chief, she “was prepared to move to a bigger a city
where I might have more job opportunities.” However,
as she discovered how much she liked helping students, her
urge to leave Cullowhee went away.
Through the graduate program, Sharpe was able to obtain a
grant writing position at Western. She continued to work with
faculty and students, and her passion for helping students
led her to work her way up to her current position as honors
advisor.
Making a difference
Sharpe says that the best part of her job is helping students.
“I had some bad advisors when I was an undergrad,”
she says, “Now I can provide better advisement for students
than I received when I was in their shoes.”
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