Suzanne Shoda, an Academic Advisor at Bass School, sat down with us to answer our questions about her journey from the work force into parenthood, then higher education, and finally, to creating a customized Interdisciplinary Studies degree plan that helped her land her dream job.
Where are you and your family from?
I graduated from a high school back in Detroit Michigan and went to Michigan State for two years right out of high school, so I was seventeen when I started. I don’t recommend that path for everyone. It didn’t exactly work for me too well. I ended up quitting Michigan State and then eventually I found Quality Control. I was a floor leader for a plastics shop and worked my way up, then got my associate degree in Quality Management and ended up being a quality manager of a robotics shop. I did that for several years, then my husband got a job in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. So, we moved out here…
I worked in manufacturing for a good twenty years before we started a family. I have twins that are 24 years old. I ended up quitting my job because I wasn’t getting any sleep. Then, I started volunteering at the elementary school with the kids and ended up getting a job as a special education paraprofessional. I worked with Plano ISD for eleven years.
What made you choose UTD?
I found my way to UTD as an Administrative Assistant for the School of Interdisciplinary Studies and ended up working here and going to school at the same time. So, the majority of my life I’ve worked two jobs, or worked one job and did school part time.
What made you choose the Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (BAIS)? What was your favorite thing about the program?
Because I was in Quality Control, I had a lot of math, so I had one foundation in Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM), my second foundation was in American Studies (AMS), and my concentration was in Business Communication.
Because I had to take some of the core classes, I was in some classes with freshmen. And I know I was not the traditional student… My son finished his degree one year before I did. It was just amazing being able to work with some of the students. The acceptance from everybody was just amazing to me. I can’t imagine being in a classroom with my mom sitting next to me.
“I would have liked to have somebody tell me, ‘Hey, slow down, enjoy, and get the most of what you can get out of the classes that you’re taking.’ Just enjoy and learn, because that’s why you’re here.
suzanne shoda
Do you have a favorite course or instructor at UTD?
American Studies classes were my favorite of all the classes I took because they not only give you that foundational “oh, this is what America is and this is what the people are in America,” but it also helps you understand more of the world.
And I took a business class called Negotiation and Dispute Resolution. It was one of the best classes I ever took and the small group camaraderie that we had in that class was just amazing.
As a non-traditional working student with children, how did you balance work, family, and school?
I had a lot of support from my husband. He was very supportive of me going back for the degree, and it’s funny too because if I had to watch something for one of my classes he would sit there and watch it with me. So, there was that camaraderie between us that he could be part of the educational experience. But I also had that with my kids; they went through all this in high school and because I had to go back and do some of the core classes, they would actually be helping me. So, it turned the tables because I helped them all through their schooling… It was a very neat experience.
How have you used your degree?
I work in the Bass School as an Academic Advisor for Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communications (ATEC) and Animation and Games majors.
My transition to academic advising was very easy. I say that because when I was in IS I not only had the ability to be in the classes with the students and see what they were actually experiencing in the classroom because I was right there with them, which was super weird sometimes, but I was also able to learn what advisors do and how advisors help students along the way. I truly believe that my journey would have been different if I had had an academic advisor because they didn’t have them back then. So there wasn’t anyone that said “this is what you need to take for your degree and maybe this would be better because this is what you’re more interested in,” right? With the IS degree you have that ability to tailor your degree to take the classes that interest you to get you to your end game which is getting a job once you get out of school.
What advice would you give to other students?
The time commitment is a lot, but I wish I’d known ahead of time that getting A’s in every class was not a necessary thing. I would have liked to have somebody tell me, “Hey, slow down, enjoy, and get the most of what you can get out of the classes that you’re taking.” And I think because I went from 2018 to 2022 non-stop taking two classes every term including summers – granted I had a little bit of a catch-up to do – even still, having somebody tell me to slow down and relish what you have would be helpful. Enjoy the classes because there’s a lot to be learned from the classes that you’re taking. Just enjoy and learn, because that’s why you’re here.