Sami earned her master's of science in education degree with a focus in student affairs administration from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse in 2016. After graduation she secured a Study Abroad Advisor position at The University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. Sami feels this position is very fruitful as, "it's a perfect marriage of my experience and future aspirations!" She hopes to grow in the field of higher education as well as international education. She is always seeking professional development opportunities and is currently a member of the ISPA, WSPA, WIEA, Forum on Education abroad, and NAFSA Region V. Through her master's program, Sami has attained skills in the following student affairs competencies:
Sami's BackgroundSami received her bachelor's degree in Spanish language and literature with an emphasis in Professional Business in 2012 from the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. She has completed a wide variety of educational coursework there and participated in a study abroad program at the Spanish American Institute for International Education in Seville, Spain. While in Spain, she studied both international marketing and management while perfecting her professional proficiency of Spanish. Her market research on penetrating technology markets in Denmark was presented at the Universidad de Sevilla.
Sami currently works at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA in the Global Education Office as their Enrollment System Specialist and Program Administrator. In her role she is the go-to person for all things MasonAbroad (TerraDotta) and manages a portfolio of faculty-led programs. Previously Sami worked at her Alma Mater - UW La Crosse as a Study Abroad Advisor! Her primary focus was on faculty-led programming and development. Her position allowed her to be creative and use her background in marketing to aid in promoting, designing, and maintaining the UWL Study Abroad Website and other digital, print, and social media marketing platforms. Sami loved that UWL International Education & Engagement has a professional development culture which allowed her to attend and present at national and regional conferences. She was a member of NAFSA Region IV and truly grew as a professional in this role. During her second year of grad school, Sami worked at the UW-Platteville Education Abroad Office as an Interim Outreach Specialist. She coordinated, marketed, and advised on the UW-Platteville Education Abroad Programs for both UW-Platteville and non-Platteville students. Previously, she worked in the International Studies Office at the University of Dubuque a their Study Abroad GA Advisor. Here she advises students on eligibility for a variety of study abroad programs; assists students with applications for volunteer/internship/service-learning abroad programs; and organizes, advertises; conducts orientation sessions and informational meetings aimed at recruiting students for relevant study abroad opportunities; serves as a resource to students, parents, guardians and the university community regarding policies and procedures; and fosters cross-cultural communications on our campus. In 2013, Sami was a Science and English instructor for La Comunidad de Madrid in Fuenlabrada, Madrid, Spain at CEIP Clara Campoamor. Here she assisted science and art courses in content as well as the English language in 2nd-6th grade. She enjoyed this position very much as it is very fulfilling and proved to be an exciting new challenge everyday. Sami has also worked at Alta Resources as a team leader for a global client. Here she worked with bilingual customer care representatives to continuously improve their quality and customer care while meeting monthly metrics. She also gained experience in: hosting interviews, recruiting, and hiring employees here. One of her most exciting positions was when she worked as the Market Lead on the Google Chrome Program at MarketStar. She engaged and hosted trainings on Google products and applications while going above and beyond client expectations. As a self starter with her business experience at UWW, Sami launched her own marketing business two years ago. She is involved with digital and social media marketing for small, local, and self employed business. Her main focus is to create a facet of digital footprints for small businesses in hopes to grow their business and thus growing stronger communities. |
- Meet SAMI
- Resume
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Graduate work
- Graduate Projects
- History of Higher Ed
- Applied Research
- Study Abroad Accessibility for Students with Disabilities
- Mental Health Abroad Policy Proposal
- Resource Review:
- Supervision Philosophy
- Leadership Grant Proposal
- Career Development Program Proposal
- Contest Issues: Student Affairs
- Budget Case Study
- Tuition Discount Analysis
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COMPETENCIES PORTFOLIO
- PERSONAL AND ETHICAL FOUNDATIONS (PEF)
- VALUES, PHILOSOPHY, AND HISTORY (VPH)
- ASSESSMENT, EVALUATION, AND RESEARCH (AER)
- LAW, POLICY, AND GOVERNANCE (LPG)
- ORGANIZATIONAL AND HUMAN RESOURCES (OHR)
- LEADERSHIP (LEAD)
- SOCIAL JUSTICE AND INCLUSION (SJI)
- STUDENT LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT (SLD)
- TECHNOLOGY (TECH)
- ADVISING AND SUPPORTING (A/S)
- Professional Work
- Undergraduate Work
Meet the new SA Pro:
Sami Sonkowsky is a graduate of the UW La Crosse Student Affairs Administration program and holds a Master's of Science in Education. She also has a Bachelor's degree in Spanish with an emphasis in business and is TEFL certified. She loves to travel and is open to new experiences and career opportunities. Where will she go to next?!