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Maura West
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MAJORS AND MINORS

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LEARN BY DOING

  • Externships: Dixon Valve, Benchworks
  • Internships: Purchasing Accounts @ Mountaire Farms, Green Spot Smart Mobility
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EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

  • Douglass Cater Society of Junior Fellows, Washington College Enactus,
  • Sigma Beta Delta, WC Jazz Combo and Classical Piano

    Maura West

    Getting Things Done

    Maura  West

    Class of 2020 - Milford, DE
    Icon of open book

    MAJORS AND MINORS

    Icon of pencil over head

    LEARN BY DOING

    • Internships: Purchasing Accounts @ Mountaire Farms, Green Spot Smart Mobility
    Icon of guitar & baseball bat

    EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

    • Douglass Cater Society of Junior Fellows, Washington College Enactus,
    • Sigma Beta Delta, WC Jazz Combo and Classical Piano

      Throughout her collegiate career, Maura West was about getting things done. Any unexpected opportunity or experience that came about, she took it, challenging herself to learn more than just what her major provided for her. Through her experience at Washington College, West learned not only the value of hard work and determination, but also an appreciation for the on-campus community and what it can give to students in all paths of study.

       

      When Maura West (‘20) first heard about Washington College, she had no idea what could possibly lie ahead of her. After receiving an admissions letter in the mail, West became interested primarily because of the distance.

      “Because it was about an hour away from where I lived, I would be able to go back and forth without any major problems,” West said.

      It wasn’t until after West had taken a campus tour that she made her decision to intend.

      “I absolutely fell in love with the campus and everything it had to offer,” West said. “I began taking a few Business courses my freshman year and became fascinated with it. I have formed close relationships with the professors in my major department, and have joined clubs and organizations that helped me gain the life-changing skills I needed after I graduate.”

      Because “the entire [WC] area is so close together that students can really form a connection with faculty members, which is extremely beneficial when you need help in deciding to study abroad”, West was determined to take full advantage of everything that Washington College had to offer, both in and out of the classroom.

      “Between Enactus, the WC Jazz Combo, and the Douglass Cater Society of Junior Fellows, I've found three organizations that are completely different but have each given me so much, from helping with my public speaking, to allowing me to play at festivals and in jazz clubs, to hearing about research that other students have done and having the opportunity to get research funded myself.”

      “I've been given so many opportunities here that I absolutely would not have gotten at any other school,” West said. “Washington College provides so many opportunities for students of a wide range of fields and course studies; and while it may be intimidating to take a class that you have little to no background in, it could lead to opportunities that you wouldn't have even dreamed of when you started.”

      Maura's Four Year Plan

      Year 1

      FAVORITE CLASSFYS: The Body Toxic

      Though the class was by no means required for her major, West feels that she learned quite a bit on the different chemicals used in a mass quantity of the products we use on a daily basis. Studying how these chemicals were used to help make the goods and services for mass production At times the class might’ve appeared complex and daunting, but it never lost West’s interest, saying “the class itself taught me how to be mindful of what goes into products, including different chemicals and different processes.”

      Year 2

      LEARNING BY DOINGWC Jazz Combo

      While she has involved herself in quite a number of extracurricular activities, including Enactus and the Douglass Cater Society of Junior Fellows, West decided to explore the college’s music department further by joining the college’s Jazz Club, sponsored by the Music Department. “I have played classical piano for a few years now, but joining the WC Jazz Club was definitely a unique and revolutionizing experience,” West said. “We’ve had the opportunity to play at local festivals and jazz clubs around the Chestertown area, and the chance to interact with other like-minded musicians who appreciate the magic and beauty of what they’re playing.”

      Year 3

      MEMORABLE EXPERIENCEPurchasing Accounts Intern, Mountaire Farms

      During the summer of her junior year, she had the opportunity to experience an internship for Mountaire Farms as a Purchasing Accounts intern for a chicken plant. While it might have seemed a little out of the ordinary, West was definitely up for the challenge, dead set on demonstrating the skills and knowledge the WC Business Department has taught her and put them into an effective, steady work ethic. West said of her internship: “[it] granted me the experience of working in the accounting department, which has helped me gain a close simulation as what other internships, and potentially future jobs, can offer in different work environments.”

      Year 4

      LOOKING FORWARD TOJob Opportunities

      Now approaching the chaos of senior year, West is writing her Senior Capstone Experience (SCE) on the decline of mass craftsmanship production over the course of our nation’s history in correlation to its steady increase through other popular formats, such as micro breweries in the United States, planning on conducting interviews with local craftsmen and business owners for their input during winter break. Although she is unsure of where life will take her next, she has already begun taking on the next chapter of her career by applying to a wide variety of jobs and preparing for upcoming interviews, including a financial advisor development program with Merrill Lynch and an executive assistant position with a beach real estate firm. “I have also applied to a finance position with a hotel chain, and a purchasing position with Mountaire Farms, where I did an internship over the summer,” West said. “Currently I have a data analytics internship with Greenspot Smart Mobility in Jersey City (NJ) with help from Enactus.” Wherever she goes, West surely hopes to use her wide collection of skills she has gathered here from Washington College to her advantage in taking on the world of business head on.

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