WIU: Who We Are, What We Do: Sarah Sharifi

University News

WIU: Who We Are, What We Do: Sarah Sharifi

May 27, 2016

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Behind the bricks and mortar, there are the people of Western Illinois University and the Macomb community.

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Who I Am: Sarah J. Sharifi, and I'm from the NW suburbs of Chicago. I have two siblings, one of who also attended WIU. I graduated from WIU in 2004 with a B.A. in journalism and a minor in Spanish. During my time there, I was the Op Ed editor for the Western Courier, a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and interned with University Relations. I lived in Wetzel Hall before it was demolished and I loved the International Sandwich Shop across from Simpkins.

People usually describe me as driven, enthusiastic and cheerful. I'd describe myself as a traveler, dreamer and life-enthusiast.

What I Do: I'm currently a content strategist for the biggest solar company in the US and I live in San Francisco. Prior to joining my current company, I lived in South Korea and in Turkey, working as a marketing professional and traveling to 20+ countries. Living in Macomb taught me how to adapt to my surroundings, which is key if you've traveled to as many places as I have.

Why I Love WIU: My education at WIU prepared me for my career and my traveling lifestyle. What I learned from the journalism curriculum taught me how to be a strong writer, communicator, thinker and photographer. Running a portion of the campus newspaper taught me leadership qualities that I now utilize in my position as a senior manager, more than 10 years later.

WIU's programs are so vast and diverse that anyone can make a successful career out of their education. The program I chose gave me tremendous versatility that has made me a great candidate for many positions. I've worked in various industries including tech, marketing, retail, education and energy—my skills have translated within all of them.

I love WIU because it was the underdog as far as schools I applied to and I came out a winner. I might live across the country (or across the world) but I am forever grateful to WIU for the education I received and the many opportunities that have since presented themselves. I made lifelong friendships. I learned valuable skill sets. I gained independence, and somewhere within, I made my parents proud to have a well-traveled, professional daughter. I look back on my time at WIU with zero regrets because it was the best place to start a successful career.

#WeRWIU