OJC Press Release ID: 2474

Monday, February 22, 2016

Graduate School Panel will provide insight into postgraduate programs

Interested in exploring graduate school opportunities? Otero Junior College will host a panel of three individuals with advanced degrees in a variety of subjects on March 1 at 3:00 p.m. in the Learning Commons Collaboration Room in Wheeler Hall on the OJC Campus. Angela Moore, Robert Samaniego and Brenda Mueller will present their experiences during graduate school.

Angela Moore graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature with hopes to move to the “big city” to work for a publishing house. Circumstances landed her in her husband’s home town of Swink. She was hired to work in the TRiO program at OJC as the transfer advisor shortly after moving to the Valley. Nine months later, Moore was promoted to assistant director of Financial Aid at OJC. She found that Higher Education was where she belonged and began work towards a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration and Leadership through Adams State University. Half-way through her master’s program she was promoted again to director of Financial Aid. She completed her master’s degree in 2013.

Brenda Mueller, psychology faculty at OJC, received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees at the University of Northern Iowa and a School Psychology License from the University of Colorado at Denver. She has worked in a variety of clinical settings including Black-Hawk Grundy Mental Health in Iowa, and Southeast Colorado Mental Health Center. She worked as a school psychologist through the Santa Fe Trail BOCES. She taught adjunct at Otero Junior College for 10 years before making the switch to teaching full-time at OJC in 2013.

Robert Samaniego is an instructor in Otero Junior College’s Business Technologies Department. Now in his 17th year as an instructor at OJC, he teaches Economics, Computer Information Systems, and Business courses. He also taught courses at Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell before moving to OJC. Before finding his way into education, Samaniego worked in a variety of fields as a printer’s assistant, an event manager/promoter, park ranger and as a hospital billing auditor. After he began a graduate degree in education, he quickly realized that he had no interest in becoming an administrator in the K-12 environment and quit the program after completing only a few courses. He later earned a Master of Business Administration degree at Colorado State University-Pueblo. Since he was working full-time, Samaniego was a part-time student. It took 3 years of continuous study to earn his degree, summers included.

There is no charge for this program and community members are welcome to attend. Each member of the panel will present their experiences, then the panel will be available for questions from the audience.

For more information on this event or OJC Career Services, contact Allison Hall, Career Coach, at 719-384-6931 or Allison.Hall@ojc.edu .

Angela Moore, director of Financial Aid

Brenda Mueller, Psychology faculty

Robert Samaniego, Business Technologies faculty