Jackie (McAndrew) Cintel
February 6, 2018
Jackie at the St. Louis Botanical Gardens (2017).
An Iowa girl at heart, I came to Truman State for the academic rigor and opportunities. I started as an English and Spanish double-major but after studying abroad in Costa Rica, I found myself fascinated with the communication field and changed my major. I went on to get my Master’s degree in Student Affairs at the University of Northern Iowa and now I work in higher education. My husband David and I currently live and work in St. Louis with our dog, Ariel, and cat, Skit. For fun, we like to play board games, explore restaurants and fun places in St. Louis and travel.
What year did you graduate and what was your concentration?
I graduated in May 2010 with a concentration in Public Communication. I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do within the communication field, but knew that I enjoyed working with and helping others.
What extra-/co-curricular activities did you do?
Jackie (3rd fr left) in Costa Rica (ca. 2009).
While I was at Truman, I participated in The Society of Dance Arts (TSODA), did several internships within the Center for Student Involvement, studied abroad in the summer of 2008 in Costa Rica for my Spanish minor, and was a member of Lambda Pi Eta, the national Communication Honors Society.
Did you go to grad school? If so, where? Was it immediately after you left Truman or did you wait? Why?
Jackie (3rd from left, bottom row) with student ambassadors and prospective students at International Preview Day at UNI (2011).
Yes, I did decide to go to graduate school at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). I started the Post-Secondary Education/Student Affairs program at UNI, having the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of internships, practica, and assistantships to help me find my place in the field.
In order to work within higher education, I knew I would eventually need to get my Master’s degree to move up. This was the main reason I went straight to grad school. At the time, I didn’t know exactly what my next step would be and the job market was a bit dicey, so it seemed like the best time to continue with my education. I also was fortunate enough to get a full pay tuition scholarship and a stipend to help with expenses.
Looking back now, part of me wishes that I had taken a little time to work in the field, but at the same time, I liked that I had the opportunity to focus exclusively on my education instead of balancing work and school. I did a lot of growing in my graduate program, seeing that education and theory are one part of the job, but being able to gain the confidence and know-how to apply it well is another thing completely!
In addition, I’m currently completing my second Master’s degree in Educational Technology to further connect my communication skills and my higher education background. My goal is to become an instructional designer and delve more into online education in the future.
What was your first job after graduation?
During my time at UNI, I completed a practicum in the Financial Aid office, working a lot with financial literacy. My first job after graduate school as working as a financial aid counselor at St. Louis University in St. Louis. It was a rewarding and at times a difficult and challenging position. I learned a lot about myself as a professional and my communication skills were integral to the difficult conversations I would have regarding finances.
What work do you do/What are you doing now?
Now, I am the Doctoral Admissions & Student Affairs Coordinator within the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis. I have the opportunity to utilize more of my technical skills that I’ve been hoping to grow after my communication undergraduate and higher education Master’s degrees. In my position, I’m looking to explore find new ways to reach prospective doctoral students through a variety of media, creating new communication pieces, maintaining and constructing web content, and forming all kinds of recruitment programming and events. I’m also getting opportunities to maintain my love of student affairs by supporting our current doctoral students as they navigate their doctoral education.
How has your Liberal Arts/COMM education helped you?
I’ve discussed a bit about how my liberal arts and communication education have helped me and I use these skills every day. Every day my co-workers and I talk about current political, business, and educational trends that affect our work. These all lend to finding approaches to remain active in the current climate.
In my role, I’m also continually looking for ways to connect to talented students who will contribute to the welcoming, challenging, and reflective culture that we have within our programs. The passion to continually learn more about the trends within technology, social media, and education on a global scale as well as being able to connect the dots on how our global community affects the big picture is a key part of how I see my liberal arts education in action!
Which class did you dislike at the time you took it, but now you’re grateful you took it?
Oh wow. To be honest, I was, and still am, a nerd when it comes to school. I enjoyed most of my classes, but one of the courses I see as completely relevant and especially necessary at this time is Communication Ethics. Every day we hear something ridiculous in the news and it’s getting harder to tell the truth from fiction. This course helped me to understand how I could be a savvy consumer of media and research in a “smart” way find out what I need to know in our world and country.
What was your greatest accomplishment at Truman?
I think that one of my greatest accomplishments at Truman was the planning, coordination, and implementation of the 2010 Leadership Recognition Program entitled, “Inspiring Others: Cultivating Leadership.”
Jackie center) with her friends and co-workers at CSI’s Leadership Recognition Program (2009).
I got the chance to work with some amazing student leaders, learn more about their stories of leadership at Truman and beyond, and put an event together! It was a year-long endeavor that kept me busy, but was also incredibly inspiring, while also helping me to decide what I wanted to do with my life!
Why is Truman a good place for a student to study?
Whenever I’ve been asked about why I decided to go to Truman, my immediate answer is “it’s the place where nerds can nerd out together.” It’s easy to find so many others that enjoy learning and school, just like you. I met so many genuine and interesting people during my time at Truman and I wouldn’t have changed that experience for anything.
What would you say a COMM student should absolutely do while at Truman?
I started in the COMM major late at the start of my junior year, so a lot of my experience in my major was condensed. One of the biggest lessons that I learned as a COMM student was the importance of not only learning the classroom, but taking the time to really experience learning in practice through internships. Working at my internship in the Center for Student Involvement opened my eyes to how broad and transferable the communication field can be. I wanted to stay in education but wasn’t interested in being a teacher. Student affairs afforded me the opportunity to utilize my communication education and see the value of transferable skills.
If I would have started with internships in my freshman or sophomore year, I think I really could have found out more about myself and my career interests earlier. This would have helped me to build on more of my experiences before going on to graduate school and helping me to focus on what I really wanted to do in higher education earlier.
What advice would you give someone who wants to go into the same line of work as you?
Get involved! A lot of people tend to fall into the student affairs field and aren’t intentionally looking to work in a college setting. Many find that they want to work in student affairs after they’ve gotten involved as a student themselves. It’s a hard field to define and it can be hard to understand the variety of careers within it, which is why it’s so important to explore all kinds of aspects of college life.
Students participating in Oktoberfest 2015 (photo credit – Tim Barcus)
In addition, I encourage anyone interested in student affairs to talk to someone in the field, since many of us love to talk about our jobs! It’s a great way to learn, network and maybe even get the chance to shadow someone doing great work!
What do you miss most about campus/Kirksville?
Pickler Library (photo credit – Tim Barcus)
When I was in Kirksville, the Bonzai restaurant was brand new. My future husband and I went there frequently and got to know the owners. The food was always delicious and we had such a great time, so I do miss it! I also loved going to the weekend farmer’s market with my friends.
As for campus, I spent a lot of time in Pickler Library. I miss seeing friends stressing out during finals along with me and finding hidden spots to read or take a nap. It’s a beautiful space! I also miss the people at Truman. I made a lot of close connections to the staff within the Center for Student Involvement and some of my professors, who have continued to advise me in my career.
What tag line would you create for the COMM department at Truman?
“Don’t just talk. Communicate.”
I don’t know. I’m bad at this! 
If you could come back to Truman and teach a class for a semester, what would be its title and what would it be about?
“Millennials in College: The student experience and communication theory.”
I think that the title says it all- there are so many connections between student development theory and communication theory, and I think there would be a lot of workplace examples that students could find interesting and applicable!
What did we not ask that you think is important for people to know?
My advice is on choosing a career path. Nowadays, so many students are focused on choosing a major that they see as practical, job market-friendly and profitable. Society encourages this. Your major doesn’t equal a career. It’s important to consider the career you want first and then think about the collective degrees/majors/minors that will round you out to be successful in that career. It’s about the experiences that you have within your education as well as the opportunities that you seek out that really direct your career and interests.
I never thought that Communication would take me where I am, but I’ve learned how to market myself and my skills that I can use in any field. I have a lot of opportunities in higher education and outside of it because of what I took away from my education at Truman.
If you would like to hear more of Jackie’s story, feel free to look her up on LinkedIn.