Tabor Performs

Nick White, Millikin University

In this blog post, we talked with Millikin student athlete Nick White about his major in Sports Management. He talks about how it is to combine wrestling with a sports management major.

Nick showed me his schedule, and he told me that he has classes at 9 am, 10 am, 1 pm, and 2 pm throughout the whole week. He has practice at 3:45 but goes in earlier to lift everyday as well. In between all of this he tries to get homework done and get something eaten so he has energy for the day. He likes to play video games and watch movies when he is not doing these things.

One thing that Nick wishes he could change is his schedule for his classes throughout the week. He said that he wishes that he did not have classes before 10 am because then he would have more time to work out in the morning. He also said he wished there was more time in the day for him to get all his things done.

Nick also said that he does not feel like there’s enough time in the day with classes, practice, and lifting. He said that he catches himself feeling overwhelmed some days just trying to go to class on time, practice for a couple hours every day, and finding time to do homework. Having a social life adds into this too. Nick said that he barely has time to just chill out and hangout with his friends because he is either doing homework or having something with wrestling going on.

His advice for other students in this major is to get to class on time and to manage your time. Nick says that he struggles some days to show up to his classes on time and that this is one thing he is trying to improve on.

Dr. Joel Blanco, Professor at Millikin University

I also interviewed professor Blanco on this topic too. He said that one skill that someone should have if they are in this field is communication. He also that the sport and recreation field is one that involves working with people, both as coworkers but also as customers. Being able to communicate well both verbally and in written form is essential in this type of work. If you can’t communicate well then you might not be able to carry a steady job within this major.

Professor Blanco also talked about what he thought the biggest challenges are in this major. He said safety and risk management are the hardest challenges in this major. He said that anyone who works in this field soon finds that participants in your programs often behave in a reckless manner that can put their own safety and others at jeopardy. Conducting programs in a safe manner, but are also enjoyable, is a challenge anyone in the field will encounter. I think his advice that he has given will help students with this major and I hope they really listen to what he is saying because it will help them do better in the major.

Thanks for reading my blog post. My name is Whitney Smith.

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Written by: Elyce Knudsen

Determined full-time accounting student who plays a little basketball on the side. A future accountant who enjoys sports, coffee, and naps!

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Accounting is a major that may scare a lot of people and it did to me because of the numbers and how many you have to keep track of. The major of accounting takes a lot of patience, focus, and determination. Although this seems frightening for most like myself, my professors and fellow classmates have guided me to success in my classes.

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I had the opportunity to speak with an accounting professor of mine at Millikin, Dr. Shailesh Patel. As we know, accounting involves a lot of numbers and Dr. Patel stresses how important it is to stay focused. He says “you are looking at numbers, but you are also looking at the history of your company. It can be challenging because you are looking at the history of a company strictly through numbers.” Dr. Patel has had the opportunity of being a CFO of a company prior to instructing accounting courses at Millikin. Dr. Patel says, “I base a lot of my lectures on my personal experience and stress topics that I know my students will come in contact with one day.” As a student of Dr. Patel, I have been able to learn from real-life scenarios in the accounting world.

“Go for it and stay determined if you truly want to pursue accounting. Accounting is a very interesting and rewarding major.”

Dr. Shailesh Patel, Millikin University

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Charly Warlow, a student as well as an athlete at Millikin, understands what it takes to be successful as an accounting major while juggling softball. I had the opportunity to catch up with Charly about her daily schedule as a student-athlete here at Millikin. Charly keeps busy with offseason and preseason workouts for softball as well as her school work. Charly is really big on staying organized and says, “I really enjoy writing the stuff down that I need to get done and being able to cross it off at the end of the day.” Charly starts her day out with classes. After class, she takes time to study or work on homework. At night, she usually has softball for at least two hours. At the end of the day, she takes time for herself and makes sure she checked everything off her list for the day.

Charly has a strong passion for accounting and has already gotten a headstart in the workforce as a manager/bookkeeper for her family’s business as well as an accounting intern for Hardesty Heating and Cooling. Each and every day Charly tries to put her accounting courses before her other courses and spends more time on those classes than the others. “The accounting courses are the courses I enjoy the most and giving more of my focus to those classes is very important to me,” says Charly.

“Stay on top of your main focuses and reach out to those who you know can help you. Use your resources!”

Charly Warlow, Millikin University

My name is Gaelle K. Kinja, a junior student majoring in Digital Media Marketing at Millikin University. I have a problem-solving proficiency that allows me to work well in teams while demonstrating a strong sense of leadership and responsibility. Moreover, with my curious and open-mind tendencies, I am interested in learning more about the people and exploring the world around me by serving them to the best of my abilities when it comes to the online marketing field.

“Stay focused and enjoy the process!”

In wanting to know how a normal day of school looks like for a Digital Media Marketing student, I spent some time discussing it with a fellow student from my major. Her name is Stephie Morene Niyomwungere. She is 22 years old, a junior student majoring in digital media marketing, and has a certificate in project management at Millikin University.  As we were discussing, Stephie told me that: “Her schedule is not always the same. There are days whereby she must wake up earlier and others where she can sleep in. It all depends on her classes schedule as well as her on-campus job.”Speaking of her different on-campus responsibilities and activities, Stephie works as a Residential Academic Peer Mentor based in Blackburn Hall, a Tabor School of Business Club (officer), and a Social Media Specialist at Tabor School of Business dean’s office. She is also a Women in Business Organization (marketing committee member) and an African Student Association member. Besides the time spent in classes and at work, Stephie said: “she enjoys hanging out at Starbucks or Einstein Bagels with my friends and classmates where they can have some coffee or sandwiches together.” As we were wrapping up our discussion, I asked Stephie to give a piece of advice to other students from the tabor school of business she said that: I would advise them to get involved in the school of business clubs like the Women in Business Organization or the newest club named Tabor School of Business. Stephie added that attending events organized by the Tabor could be a great way to mingle with other students, staff, and alumni while exploring opportunities and getting business connections. “Doing more than what you are required to do will be another way to nurture your various skills, Stephie concluded.”

I also got the opportunity to talk to the professor of my People and performance class. I asked her to give me a picture of what her daily routine may be. She is called Dr. Janet Kirby, a full-time faculty since Fall 2019 and the head of the Organizational Leadership Behavior at Millikin. For Dr. Kirby, normal daily activities include class preparation, meetings as well as advising sessions, but “I enjoy all my teaching sessions, mentioned Dr. Kirby enthusiastically.” As a person aspiring to pursue my career in almost the same field as Dr. Kirby, I asked her to give some advice to business students she said: “students should maintain a good balance of quantitative and qualitative skills, by doing more than their major focal point, reading business news to be aware of what is happening in the business world, she summed it all up saying keep learning!”

Chad Kelton 

Hi, my name is Chad Kelton, and I am a business student studying Digital media marketing at Millikin University. My day starts off with me waking up at 8:00am and taking cold shower.  I then go to my class from 9:30-10:45, after I get out of class I head to the UC and get food from the café. I then have my next class at 12:30-1:45, once I get back to my apartment, I do homework or whatever I have planned for the day. Once I eat dinner and have all the things done, I need to do, I then watch movies or learn about other things I’m interested in. 

Professor Janet Kirby 

Janet Kirby is an Assistant teacher at Millikin University and works in the business department. Before receiving the job for Millikin, Janet Kirby had a long successful career working for the state Government. She ended up working at Millikin because one of her friends needed help teaching. She started her job in the fall of 2019 and have helped the business department succeed and has brought a lot of different skills to the business department. 

A typical day for Janet Kirby would be being on campus for a couple days or attending meetings on other days. When she is not on campus teaching class or attending different meetings, she is preparing her teaching lessons, grading hw/tests, or working on other projects. 

When you don’t see Janet Kirby in class or on campus, she be working in her yard or taking care of her goat or chicken. Janet Kirby lives on 2 acres of land that takes a lot to handle but she loves it. Luckily her kids and grandbabies live close, so she a 

I love to work in my yard and do projects in my house.  I live in the country and have 2 acres to take care of and that includes dogs, a goat and a chicken.  My kids and grandchildren all live close so I get to spend time with them too.  I feel very blessed by my work at Millikin and at home.

I asked Janet Kirby if she were to give any student advice after they were to graduate from Millikin and this was her response,” I would tell them to think outside the box, to make sure you understand the business world and not just your field. To never stop learning because you never know when an opportunity could appear.” Also, a quote she loves is, “to ask yourself, what do I have control over and what do I not have control over.” 

Luke Kelton

I sat down with Luke Kelton and he is a student at Millikin University studying Human Resources. What a day looks like for Luke is he would wake up at 7:30am and take a cold shower. After he would mediate, he says that’s the most important thing to do during his day because it gets his mind and body ready for the day. He then would go from class 9:30-1:00 depending on the day. He then makes his own lunch and gets all his HW done for the day. Something he also makes sure he does is get free time to chill and do whatever he wants to do. Luke takes pride in being a student at Millikin and he enjoys being a part of the Big Blue family. 

When Luke isn’t studying or going to class, he likes to game in his free time. It’s a hobby for him where he can clear his mind and do something he loves. He picked it up at a young age and fell in love with them. He is able to compete and make money from this hobby. Which helps him pay for school, food, and anything he wants. 

A quote Luke has always implemented in his life is,” ONE DAY YOU WILL WAKE UP & THERE WON’T BE ANY MORE TIME TO DO  THE THINGS YOU’VE ALWAYS WANTED. DO IT NOW.” 

Being able to balance schoolwork and baseball at the same time can be a difficult task. Learning how to do this takes a lot of time management skills, as well as drive. Finance is not an easy major in the first place and adding baseball into the mix can make it even more of a challenge. It can still be done at a high level, however. That is why I will be interviewing Lucas Ryan. Lucas is a Finance Major, Baseball Player, and a James Millikin Honors student. I will be interviewing him about what his day looks like, and how he accomplishes everything at a great standard.

First, I asked Lucas how he starts each day. Lucas stated, “Consistency is key. I start every single morning with a cup of black coffee, and a well-balanced breakfast.” Though he starts every day the same, they all look a little different due to his class schedule and baseball. His Tuesday’s and Thursday’s look the most similar, so I decided to go into depth on these two days. He acknowledges, “Every Tuesday and Thursday I get to sleep in a little longer until 9:30. I do my normal morning routine, and then have class from 11-12:15. After this class, I come back to the woods and enjoy lunch while watching The Pat McAfee Show on YouTube. That time adds a nice break in my day.”

Following this up, I asked him how the rest of his afternoon and evening looked like. He stated, “I go to Macroeconomics class from 2-3:15. I then usually go to the baseball field to hit in the batting cage and take fly balls. Before and after dinner is the time period that I use to finish homework and study for tests. I usually eat dinner at 6:00 and that is followed up with baseball lifting from 7-8:15. That basically concludes my day.”

“Focus on yourself!” – Lucas Ryan

I decided to interview Dr. Michael Osei. I have had Michael for multiple classes, and he is my advisor. Michael earned his Ph.D. in Economics from Oklahoma State University. He is a great business mind and is very easy to connect with. We have built a great personal relationship over the last two schoolyears, so I thought it would be perfect to ask him to do an interview.

First, I asked him about the importance of financial knowledge. Michael stressed, “Finance is the most important aspect of a business and the first letter of the so-called FAME subjects (Finance, Accounting, Management, and Economics). The world of finance is vast, has a greater job mobility and higher growth rate than most business careers. Financial literacy is also very important in today’s society and a major in finance will help you make financially responsible decisions.”

I also asked Michael for some advice he has for Finance Students, “Finance is an important part of everyday life and financial literacy can be the difference between poverty and a great life well-lived. So welcome to the world of finance! Remember, every decision in life involves a tradeoff so if you have made the decision to be in school and to pursue a major in Finance then make it count; give it your best shot no matter how challenging it may be! Choose excellence and do not settle for mediocrity or resort to excuses. No matter your background, believe you can for “if you can believe, all things are possible to [the one] who believes”. See each day as a gift and always make the most out of it!”

“If you can believe, all things are possible to [the one] who believes” – Dr. Michael Osei

I had the opportunity to interview Julianna Vassallo, a junior business major, here at Millikin. She has a busy schedule juggling school while being an athlete. Julianna is a part of the Women’s volleyball team, and she says, “I love playing volleyball here but during season it gets very busy doing school and practices and games.” A usual day for Julianna starts with waking up around 9 am to get ready for her day then she heads off to classes. After her first class she comes back to her apartment at The Woods and makes herself breakfast. Julianna said, “I am really enjoying my marketing class this semester because I find it very interesting, and it is possibly something I want to pursue as a career.”  She then heads off to study tables for her volleyball team where she has a block of time dedicated to doing schoolwork; Vassallo stated “I like having study tables because it gives me designated time to work on homework, so I don’t have to worry about finding the time.” After study tables she comes back to her apartment and relaxes for while which she said usually consists of watching tv, taking a nap, or going and getting a drink from Starbucks. She then makes herself lunch, but she said, “I usually meal prep on Sundays for my lunches for the week so I don’t have to worry about finding time to make a good meal.” After lunch Julianna looks over her schedule for the week to make sure she is staying on top of things and then heads off to her three-hour volleyball practice. She then comes back to the apartment to make herself dinner and shower. She also uses this time to finish up any homework assignments she has for the night. After all of that she likes to finish her night by catching up and spending time with her roommates. So overall she has a full day of activities. I also had the pleasure of talking with a professor here at Millikin who is a part of the business program. I asked Professor Weber if he had any advice for students going through the business program. Professor Weber stated, “Make a direct effort to constantly interact with many different people, both inside and outside of the classroom environment”. He talked about how a big part of being successful in a business career is being able to interact with different people about variety of topics. Julianna being a part of the volleyball team which students in all types of majors gives her good diversity in who she interacts with. Professor Weber also said, “one of the best ways to gain experience at this is to put yourself into situations where you will get to meet and interact with more and more different folks.” I think that this advice is very true because in business there are so many different career paths so having diversity in the people you have interacted in is a huge skill to have. 

Chloe Buzicky is a sophmore at Millikin University from Mahomet IL, and is a part of the Women’s Soccer Team. She is a business major with a psychology minor. She enjoys to spend time with her friends and hiking.

As colleges and universities around the country have returned to in-person learning, campuses are thriving once more. Students can now interact with one another in person, gaining more knowledge and a better understand of fellow students’ routines, courses, and schedules. However, the return to campus means there is more places to be, things to do, and people to see. While higher education institutions continue to return to normal, it is important to get a glimpse into a day in the life of a college student. That such student is Isabelle Alwardt, a Digital Media Marketing major here at Millikin University.

At Millikin University, Isabelle currently takes four courses as a full-time student. The courses are Introduction to Financial Accounting, Principles of Microeconomics, Critical Writing, Reading, and Research, and United States Cultural Studies. When setting up her course schedule for the Fall 2021 semester, Isabelle took daily school, work, and recreational time into consideration as she commutes from Springfield, IL. When asked what her weekly course schedule was comprised of, Isabelle stated, “I set up my course schedule so I attend Millikin every Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30 AM to 3:15 PM. By doing that I gave myself plenty of time to work, study, and enjoy my free time every other day of the week.” In terms of her courses, Isabelle has enrolled in multiple courses in the Tabor School of Business that relate to various other majors such as Finance, Accounting, and Business. Since she only travels to campus twice a week, each course is one hour and fifteen minutes long, with Introduction to Financial Accounting at 9:30 AM to 10:45 AM, Principles of Microeconomics at 11:00 AM to 12:15 PM, Critical Reading, Writing, and Research at 12:30 PM to 1:45 PM, and her United States Cultural Studies course at 2:00 PM to 3:15 PM.

Outside of the classroom, Isabelle leads a busy life between work and personal interests. On days she does not have class, Isabelle works as a Coordinator at Ross Dress for Less. Her personal interests lie in travel and. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and her dog, Buster. When asked what activities she finds productive, she stated taking Buster on walks and runs is always beneficial for both of them. In response to a question about what an average day for her looks like, Isabelle stated, “On days I have school I begin by driving to Millikin for all four of my classes. After my last class at 3:15 PM, I head back home to do homework since I have those nights free. When I finish my homework, I usually take Buster on a walk and get some exercise for the both of us.”

Along with interviewing Isabelle about her daily routine, I asked her for a piece of advice she would give other students in the Tabor School of Business. After some thought, she said time management is extremely important when juggling a full course load, work, and a social life. While many students may get bogged down by attending lectures, doing homework, and working, it is important to structure your daily routines throughout the week to ensure you have enough time to accomplish everything. “I set my classes and work schedule up to where I have a healthy balance between the two each week.”

Jacob Blair is a Junior at Millikin University in Decatur, IL, majoring in Finance. In his free time, he enjoys toying with Adobe’s Creative Cloud, embarking upon challenging graphic design projects, and drag racing.

Written by: Zachary Auton

Passionate and driven full-time accounting student. Future CPA that will come to your tax and money needs. A huge sports fan- especially for Illinois basketball and the Chicago Bulls!

When choosing accounting as my major I first thought I was going to only be required to know simple calculations. After these interviews, I found out that was not true. It requires much more skill development such as teamwork, adaptability, and communication skills.

I had the opportunity to interview Derek Austin, a freshman accounting major here at Millikin University. I learned what a typical day was like for him. He wakes up every morning around 8am every morning. He heads to the gym around 8:30am and works out on various parts of his body depending on the day. I asked him what motivates him to go to the gym. He told me, “I go to the gym because I want to be in great shape for the soccer season.” He works out until around 10am and then heads home. He takes a quick shower and gets ready for class when he gets home. He leaves around 10:30am because he has his first class at 11am. He has classes until 2pm.

He then goes home after classes to work on homework or study for upcoming quizzes and tests. He does this until around 4 or 5pm depending on the day. Afterwards, he likes to practice his soccer skills. He practices for about an hour every day to improve his craft. He plays on the soccer team here at Millikin and wants to be at his best for the upcoming season next year. After he is finished practicing, he eats dinner around 6 or 7pm. Finally, he likes to relax and spend time with his family for the rest of the day. Whether that is just talking with family or playing video games. I asked him why he chose accounting as his major. He told me,

“I feel like it is the best fit for me. I work well with numbers, memorizing things, and with people- so I feel like this would work best for me. Plus, I like the opportunity of advancement and they are paid well.”

Dr. Shailesh Patel is currently my accounting professor and primary advisor at Millikin University. I asked him why accounting is a great major. He said, “It is a great field. It is an exciting career. There are plenty of opportunities for advancements. It is a very rewarding career. Every day is different being an accountant.” I also asked him what advice he had for other accounting majors. He said, “Make sure you are good with people skills. At many of my jobs I had to work in teams. I had to work in teams up to 16 people.”

After he told me this, I realized that accounting majors need to have more skills than just the ability to do simple calculations. They will need to have the ability to work well with others, adaptability, and good communication skills.

Written by: Caleb Bleich

My name is Caleb Bleich and I am junior business management major here at Millikin. I am also on the track and soccer team. As a student-athlete and business major I understand the struggle to manage your time. In this blog post I interview fellow student and two sport athlete Bailey Coffman and Professor Vernon.

Bailey Coffman is a Junior Business Management student here at Millikin. She also competes in basketball and softball. I decided to ask her a few questions to help other students see into the life of a student-athlete in a business management major. The first question I asked her was how her typical day looked and her response was, “I start most of my days early with team lifting, or I go to Griswald to get some shots in before my school day starts. Then before and after lunch I have my business and sports management classes, and the end of my day is usually softball or basketball practice and homework before bed.” Bailey is a great example of someone who can manage their time well despite being in two sports. She says she has found a good balance between social life and school. I asked Bailey if she had any advice for business majors and this is what she said, “The biggest thing that has worked for me is being present in class and actively listening, and don’t be afraid to ask for help and use your resources provided when you don’t understand or just need extra help.” After interviewing Bailey, she made sure to say If you see her around campus don’t be afraid to say hello and ask her questions.

I had the pleasure of talking with Dr. Vernon who is an associate professor here at Tabor School of Business. I started off by asking him what his typical day-to-day routine looks like and responded by saying that he is not so sure there is a truly typical day, but as a professor at Millikin he said, “This is a job where you get a lot of control over how and when you do work.  That is one of the things that attracted me to it.” He then went on to tell me his daily routine, which starts with him waking up at 430AM and making coffee well before most of us are awake. Once he has his coffee, he checks Instagram and Twitter and reading the news. He generally spends an hour on Reuters, which he says is a great source for business news. He then heads over to his computer to check his bank accounts and investment accounts. Now that it is 6AM he eats breakfast while reading BBC news. He has National Public Radio playing until 8AM most days. After breakfast he checks personal email, work email, and his work calendar. Then he checks Moodle and loads quizzes, assignments, etc. He keeps a clipboard with a fresh sheet of paper so he can create a list of things to be done for the day. At 7am he takes his daily 30-minute walk and then showers and gets dressed to be back at his computer by 8AM doing work such as class prep, grading, and reading. He arrives on campus 1-2 hours before his first class depending on the day. Some mornings he has meetings or may meet with a prospective student. As you can tell, his day-to-day routine sets him up nicely for the rest of the day. Once we were done talking about his routine, I asked him if he had any advice for students at Millikin looking for a career in business. His response was, “Take advantage of the opportunities and the time that you have in college and get as much work experience as you can.  Be entrepreneurial, start a business, or at least be involved with some sort of startup.” He said to try different things and make contacts. For his final pieces of advice he said, “Learn to do simple things well. Keep a calendar, make lists, submit assignments on time, arrive to class on time, etc. Develop a good personal routine and never get completely out of shape. Start learning how to exercise in the morning, because after you start your career, it is more difficult to make time to exercise in the afternoon. Read!  News, sports, novels, or anything. Just read!