Margaret “Mitzi” Stewart is an assistant professional lecturer of communications and journalism at the University of Wyoming. She began working for the university after receiving her master’s degree in 2009.
“I actually came here as an undergrad and I got my Bachelor of Science in Communication,” Stewart said. “I started working for the university pretty steadily once I graduated with my master’s degree in fall of 2009.”
Stewart began tutoring at the Oral Communication Center on campus during her very first semester of college. After receiving her bachelor’s degree, she applied for the master’s program and began teaching public speaking classes.
Stewart said that her job as a lecturer is not like a typical 9 to 5 and involves working even after the day has ended, including working on holidays and weekends.
“One thing I really enjoy about my job is that the flexibility is amazing,” Stewart said. “I definitely am a night owl, and I can stay up pretty late and do a lot of my work at night. This is not a job where you can be done right at 5 PM and not take it home with you.”
If students are interested in pursuing a career in education, Stewart said to consider attending graduate school and receiving a master’s degree. She also said it is important to have a genuine interest in the teaching topic.
“It’s not just about the teaching for me. I dig media stuff,” Stewart said. “If you are wanting to look at teaching at a university, you should have a passion for that actual content and you may want to go to graduate school to do more of that research and analysis. You have to like your subject.”
Stewart said that COVID-19 brought a dramatic change to the university, and she misses interacting with her students face-to-face. She said that her favorite part of her job is forming relationships with her students and helping them grow.
“A lot of the time, the students that come into my classes are genuinely interested in the topics,” Stewart said. “To a certain extent they prevent me from becoming too old because I need to know what’s going on in the media. It is quite fulfilling to know that you have helped people. Not everyone gets to do that in their job, and I’m happy to say that is something I certainly take to heart.”
In terms of goals for her students, Stewart said she wants them to be confident with the class material and gain useful skills.
“I hope students get through my courses with a feeling that they are comfortable with the course content and have an interest in it too,” Stewart said. “I want them to take something away and have it stick with them. I hope they come away from the program with something they can use in the real world.”
If students are looking to take classes in the communication and journalism department at the university, Stewart said she recommends starting with Intro to Media Studies and Intro to Human Communication.
