Megan Shares a Bit About the Unique Culture of WSU-Rochester
“Everyone is so supportive and motivated to help our students succeed!”
Name: Megan Simonson
Title/Position: Recruitment and Advising Coordinator
Department: Teacher Education, Winona State University-Rochester
Degree: Master’s Degree in Counselor Education and Community Counseling
Family: Ethan (my wonderful husband) and Phoebe (my Pembroke Welsh Corgi)
Hobbies: Sports, Music, Volleyball, Traveling, Baking… and Taking Naps
Inspiration: My mother—she’s incredible
What Megan Does at WSU-Rochester
I do recruitment for our education programs in Rochester. I also serve as a pre-advisor for our students as they strive to meet our admission requirements. Essentially, this means that from a prospective student’s first inquiry about our program to the start of their first class as a WSU-Rochester student, I am their point of contact.
Megan’s Path to Rochester
I am actually a graduate of Winona State University! I graduated with my Master’s degree in Community Counseling and School Counseling in 2015. While I was obtaining my degree, I worked as a graduate assistant in the College of Education on the Winona campus. When the opportunity for this job became available, I was living in Rochester. Originally, I wanted to be a high school counselor because I valued the work they do to help students get into college. Between my passion for that and the fact I was already familiar with the College of Education at Winona State, it seemed like a great fit, so I applied and the rest is history.
What Megan Likes Most About Working at WSU-Rochester
What I like most about my job is the people, both my coworkers and students. The culture at Winona State University-Rochester is incredible. Everyone is so supportive and motivated to help our students succeed. I enjoy helping students work toward their career goals. Sometimes the admission criteria can appear overwhelming and it takes a lot of work. I enjoy the process of working with those students to figure out how obtaining a degree is achievable for them. The best part is when I get to inform a candidate that their hard work has paid off and they are admitted into the College of Education!
What Megan Likes Most About Rochester
My favorite thing about Rochester is how much the city has to offer. In my opinion, Rochester has all the perks of living in a big city, yet you can drive 15 minutes and feel like you’re in the country. It’s the best of both worlds.
Megan’s Advice for Today’s College Student
Don’t be scared to ask questions. We are here to help! Sometimes navigating higher education on your own is confusing. Find someone who can connect you with the right people, even if they don’t know the answer to the question themselves.
Meet with Megan
If you’re interested in becoming a teacher and want to learn more, you are invited to join me for a special alumni and prospective student open house and networking event on Thursday, February 27 from 5-7 PM at the STEM Village in the Heintz Center. . There’ll be a teacher/alumni panel at 5:30 and we’ll have plenty of time for one-on-one advising. You can even get started on the application process right there at the event. I’ll be on hand to answer your questions and offer help. We’ll even have free tacos provided by Taco JED. Let’s “taco-about” education!
Get the full event details and RSVP on Eventbrite
Interested in learning more about becoming a teacher?
Visit our website or contact Megan here:
