How I Got Ready: Miranda's Story

When she graduates from Alverno in May, Miranda Stueckrath will achieve two big milestones.

Not only will Stueckrath become the first in her family to graduate from college, but she will also take one step closer toward becoming the first to earn a master’s degree. What motivates her? A love of learning, and a desire to share that love with others.

“My education isn’t just about the degree. It’s about the experience that I have and how it’s helping me get to where I want to be,” she says.

Where she wants to be is a college professor, ideally at a campus like Alverno. Stueckrath, a history major and art minor, has been accepted into the graduate history program at Utah State University and will begin her studies this fall. The competitive program is fully funded, removing one potential hurdle to her dream job.

Stueckrath chose Utah State for many of the same reasons she chose Alverno: “I wanted a smaller school because I wanted to make sure I wasn’t just a number. I wanted to know my professors and have my professors know me.”

Stueckrath cites the Alverno faculty as role models for the type of professor she’d like to become.

“All the faculty at Alverno are so dedicated to students. They always willing to discuss different career paths and to connect you with alums and people in the community.”

Thanks to her Alverno education, Stueckrath knows she is ready for graduate school.

“Something that Alverno has helped me do, not just in academics but in the real world, is verbalizing my skills. That comes from the 8 Abilities. I can tell people exactly where my strengths lie. I can also take feedback and apply it to where I need to grow,” she says. “Grad school will be a step up, but I’m prepared for the dedication that it’s going to take, and I definitely feel prepared in my knowledge level.”