What is your NMU connection?
2018 graduate. Worked on summer orientation for 3 years and in housing for 3 years
Your favorite NMU memory or story
My wife gave me my first campus tour. My wife was on the orientation staff in 2014 and I was transferring to NMU. she
gave me my first tour, then was an RA in my building (Magers), then we worked on orientation together in 2015 and began dating in the Fall of 2015. I was an RA in West Hall and she had been a resident in West. We’ve been married since 2022 and have two dogs, named after West Hall, Wilbur (a dachshund) and West (a German shepherd mix).
Who is the most influential person you met during your time at NMU and why were they so influential?
Christy Miller. She was my RD as an RA and supervised me one summer for orientation, and worked with me in my third
summer overseeing the Orientation Staff Assistants. She was so available and amazing at her job for the residents and
her staff. She is authentic, caring, and fun, and sets the tone for how I should support my own staff while working in higher Ed.
Tell us about the significance of any teams, clubs, or organizations you were part of during your time at NMU
Radio X. It was a great time to have a space in the week where I could share music I loved.
What is/was your favorite thing to do in Marquette?
I loved hiking and camping especially out at unnamed Morgan Falls.
Talk about any significant/memorable sporting events, weather occurrences or other on-campus activities
I only remember when it snowed three feet in three days. That was rough.
What is your current or former profession?
Residence Life Coordinator at the University of Wisconsin-Stout
How did NMU help you get to where you are today?
Without my experience with orientation and housing, I would have never known Higher Ed could be a path as a career.
NMU set a great bar for what the work was and had awesome people doing it.
Amanda Maher-Swanberg (‘17 NMU grad), Tavin Maher-Swanberg (‘18 NMU grad) and our dogs, Wilbur and West.