Throwback Thursday – To commemorate the 10th year of SXTXState, each Thursday we’ll be featuring past participants in the project. Check back each Thursday until SXSW to find out what SXTXState alumni remember from their time with the project and what they are up to now.

Sarah Marquis, formerly Hopper, attended Texas State University for her Master’s Degree in Mass Communications, which she graduated with in 2011. Sarah and I also went to high school together in East Texas. She now lives in New Braunfels with her growing family.

I reached out to Marquis before I applied to Texas State in 2015, and she raved about the SXTXState project and the teacher, Cindy Royal. Below is a Q&A I did to catch up with her, find out some of her biggest takeaways from being apart of the SXTXState class, and asking for advice she had for me and future students.

Question: What have you been up to since you were apart of the SXTXState project?

Answer: Oh gosh, where do I even begin. There has been a whole heck of a lot that has gone on since the project. The most important things first, I had a precious baby girl in late 2013. I got married in 2014 and I am expecting a baby boy in the spring of 2017. Busy? Nah. Life is chaotic. And beautiful. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. After graduate school, I landed a job working for a Hospice Agency in San Marcos called Odyssey Health Care at the time. I was an Account Executive or essentially a “Hospice Sales Rep” as some would call it. I was lucky is what I was. I had NO experience in sales but several years of education and background in both communications and marketing. There is no doubt that is what got me that job. My level of education is what got me that job. Someone gave me a CHANCE. An OPPORTUNITY. And I will be forever grateful for it. I worked for Odyssey as a Rep for 3 years. I have since transitioned into first a Marketing Director with CIMA Hospice in New Braunfels, and then into Hospice Administrator for the same company. I actually was just promoted into a Regional Administrator capacity for the company. I have been with CIMA for a little over 2 years and I am just so thankful to be doing something that I believe in. That I am passionate about. That I feel is a rewarding career to be in. I don’t think I would be capable of being in a role like this if it weren’t for my experiences in graduate school. Those classes molded me. Helped me to be more confident in my speaking abilities. Especially in large audiences. I remember how nervous I was during SXSW, like during the interview, we did with Bob Metcalfe.  Looking back, I am so thankful for that experience. So humbled by that experience. I am certain there were SO many things I could have done differently and didn’t but I am also certain that because I was allowed that opportunity I have felt more confident in my career now. I don’t know if that makes sense but it sure does to me. Dr. Royal specifically allowed us the opportunity to get out there. Do things outside our comfort zone. Or maybe she didn’t allow us as much as she pushed us to pursue these things. She created the avenues for us.

Question: What effect did the SXTXState project have on you?

Answer: Well to be honest it had several effects on me. I became more confident in my speaking. In my presentation. In my ability to relate to people. To really dig into trying to understand other people’s perspectives. That was probably one of my biggest takeaways. I also got to meet some REALLY incredible people. So many different backgrounds. So many different things that people were passionate about pursuing. I think that was really cool.

Question: What are some of your best memories from the SXTXState class?

Answer: SXSW was definitely a HUGE highlight of course. And I think another thing for me was getting to hear about other people’s experience through the class. We did a lot of open dialogue I felt like and I really was able to capture what each person’s experience through the class was. And how they were all such different experiences. I was forced to do SO many things outside of my comfort zone. I had to learn the hard way in so many different aspects, and I feel like that made me stronger in the end. Actually, I know it did. I am here to tell you, that class shaped me. And Cindy can sure tell you, we were a very diverse group. I think this is inevitable when you are part of a graduate program simply because so many people pursue the dream of attending grad school at different stages in life and that was obvious in our program. It certainly brought a certain flavor to our group, A good one.

Question: What advice would you share with incoming students such as myself?

Answer: Well you and I have already discussed this some but what I would say is embrace it. Soak it all up. As cliché as that sounds it rings so true. Time flies when you are having fun and there is no doubt that I had fun but I also learned SO SO much. About myself. About my dreams. About WHO I wanted to be and what I was determined to do in order to make that happen. So dive in head first. Envelope yourself into your program. Let it change you. Let it mold you. Be vulnerable. You won’t regret that. Trust me. WRITE THINGS DOWN. KEEP A JOURNAL. SOMETHING. There are so many parts of this experience I feel like I sort of missed because I have forgotten what I thought were such small details at the time.

Question: Did the project help prepare you for your current job in anyway?

Answer: There is no question that it did. In my line of work, we take care of people at the end of their life. So many times, I am the first person to have that conversation with the patient and/or their family. In most cases, the physician unfortunately has not thoroughly explained what is truly going on with them. They feel lost. They feel scared. They feel overwhelmed. I have to go in and have these raw conversations with these people. We laugh and we cry. We hug. We talk. Every experience is nothing like the next. It is a beautiful thing to be a part of and I am not sure I could imagine myself anywhere else. This is my calling. This is where I am supposed to be. I love it. I believe it. And I am helping people write the end of their story. It’s an HONOR to be a part of something so beautiful. I don’t know that I could have done this line of work if it weren’t for my experiences in both undergrad and more so in my graduate program. I found myself. I found my true calling. I found my voice. That is a beautiful thing. I feel so so lucky.

Question: What are your plans moving forward?

Answer: Well pretty soon my plan is to have a baby. Haha! My plan though, my real plan, is to
be the best mama I can possibly be. That is my realjob. My real reward. What I am on this earth
to do. As far as my career, my plan is to continue with CIMA in a Regional Capacity as we acquire additional agencies all over the Central Texas region. We love being in New Braunfels so I don’t see us going anywhere. I hope to continue my passion. Being in Hospice. In Health Care. Helping people. I feel like that’s where I should be. I would love to one day go back to school. I have always enjoyed school. I am not sure what I would pursue but possibly something in Health Care Administration or Business Development. There are a couple of programs I have looked into but not sure what I would pursue to be honest. I know that I want to wake up every day and I feel like I am helping someone.

Question: Anything else you’d like to share with Texas State graduate students or people interested in reading the site about SXSW, your time in the graduate program, etc?

Answer: Dive in. Do it. Go for it. You will NOT regret it. Being a part of SXSW was such a big part of my experience in grad school and I am so thankful I did it. SO SO thankful. Grateful. Lucky. Whatever you want to call it. Graduate school was an opportunity. My career was an opportunity that someone gave me. So many things in life are opportunities and they are right out in front of you, you just have to want them bad enough. You have to pursue them. You have to be uncomfortable. You have to fall and get back up. You have to be vulnerable. I think because I experienced those things in my graduate program, I was probably a little more prepared for those same events in life and also even more ready for the opportunity that awaited me. I wouldn’t change a thing. I take that back. I would change a few things. I would have taken more notes. I would have listened more. I would have written a better blog. I would have kept up with it. I guess another takeaway could be, don’t let life get in the way of you telling your story.

Big thanks to Sarah Marquis for taking time out of her busy schedule to share these answers with me. I really enjoyed the enthusiasm and feedback she provided. Stay tuned for more Throwback Thursday posts where we will continue to highlight past students in the SXTXState program!