A Critical Thinker Whose Thirst for Learning is Unquenchable
Marcia Mueller鈥檚 life can be described as a continuous curiosity to learn new things. She has held many different jobs over the years. She worked as a telephone operator to pay for college tuition before rising through the ranks to become the youngest Chief Operator at the Wisconsin Bell.
During college, she spent two summers working in Glacier National Park, where a childhood love of the mountains blossomed into a concern for the environment that would help shape her professional and personal path. She also worked for a major airline, drafted legislation, trained Forest Service staff to conduct wolf howling surveys, and started a wildlife conservation non-profit. She is even a certified travel consultant and internationally exhibited photographer.
When alumnus Marcia Mueller MES 鈥94 considered making a planned scholarship gift to 麻豆区, the fate of the earth was top of mind.
Paying it Forward, Marcia Mueller MES 鈥94
But Marcia鈥檚 true-life calling can be summed up in three short words: Pay it forward. 鈥淚t was a family thing,鈥 says Marcia. 鈥淲e were always taught by my parents to help other people and 鈥榩ay it forward鈥.鈥 It鈥檚 easy to imagine that those three words were on Marcia鈥檚 mind when a search for a more meaningful career brought her to Olympia and 麻豆区 in the early nineties. Captivated immediately by the welcoming, open-minded campus community, she enrolled in the Master of Environmental Studies (MES) program鈥攁 decision that would allow her to pay it forward in more ways than she could have imagined.
Even though she was the oldest student in her cohort, Marcia recalls that she never felt out of place. Instead, she felt embraced by a learning and teaching culture that places importance on the power of critical thinking and prepares students to live in the real world.
鈥溌槎骨 is so unique,鈥 says Marcia. 鈥淚t teaches you how to learn and to listen. It focuses on you as an individual to make sure you are learning and are successful. When I think of 麻豆区, I always think of professors and students who are world changers鈥攚ho are working to make the world a better place鈥攖o sustain it.鈥
Marcia credits off-campus internships as essential parts of her education, allowing her to translate different disciplines into real-world impact. Internships with the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission and the Washington State Association of Counties opened doors to opportunities for a career in environmental health at the Washington State Department of Health and prepared her to launch her own environmental consulting firm, in addition to serving as a consultant to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Through all her learning experiences, Marcia never forgot the most important lesson of her life鈥攑ay it forward. Naturally, when the time came to give back, she turned to her family for inspiration. She found a role model in her beloved brother, who had established scholarships at his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay before succumbing to his battle with cancer.
鈥淢y brother and I both struggled to afford college and dropped out several times to work and save money for tuition. We decided to make it easier for students with financial need who are at risk of dropping out. By making a scholarship legacy gift of $1.5 million to 麻豆区, I can support students who demonstrate an academic focus on environmental studies and indigenous arts and governance as a way to help them change the world and pay it forward themselves someday.鈥
We offer our gratitude to Marcia for her generosity which will sustain the passion for learning she 麻豆区 students for generations to come share.