A UIU graduate’s continuing adventure

Since the day Amy Vose walked into the Upper Iowa University Fort Riley, Kan., Center admissions office in 2006, her life has been turned into one great adventure after another. Not only did her UIU education eventually provide Vose with the human resources management degree she had sought, but it quickly inserted her into a career that has enriched her life and that of her family.

As a divorced mother of two children, who was also balancing a full-time job, Vose originally chose to attend the UIU Fort Riley Center due to the university’s flexible online and evening class schedules. She soon discovered the additional benefits of the personal instruction provided by the faculty and the diversity of the students in the UIU classrooms.

“The instructors really care for their students, and each of them seems to view their personal success through the success of their students,” added Vose. “They also provided an experience, which enabled them to demonstrate how the educational materials translated into the real-world career environment. It’s a benefit you don’t get at some other universities, where you’re just a number or another face in the crowd.”

At the same time, the now 38-year-old admits she had no idea if the knowledge she gained while attending UIU would enable her to compete in the career field she sought with the Civilian Army Human Resources Agency. That quickly changed, while achieving her degree, she was offered a position as a human resources assistant at Fort Stewart, Ga.

“I readily accepted the job, and off my family and I went from the blustery plains of Kansas to the warm, temperate, coastal climate of Savannah, Georgia,” noted Vose. As part of her responsibilities, the UIU graduate recruited and placed civilians for a variety of U.S. Army medical fields, including doctors, nurses, medical support assistants and computer specialists.

“I was able to build upon the knowledge, skills and abilities I gained at UIU to professionally perform my duties in HR. My personal life was also enriched as my family and I were able to explore the Georgia coastline and all that the south has to offer,” stressed Vose. “I now know that without a doubt, I wouldn’t be in my career field, or be able to perform at the level that I am today, had it not been for the challenging UIU curriculum. It has given me a platform to have the confidence I need not only to work in this career field, but to excel in it as well.”

Vose and her children, Wesley, 16, and Sydney, 12, have since moved to St. Louis, Mo., where the proud mother now works as an HR specialist for the Army Corps of Engineers-St. Louis District and U.S. Army Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) at Scott Air Force Base, Ill. She currently staffs and recruits for hundreds of different specialty fields, including engineers, program managers, accountants, lock and dam operators, deckhands and traffic management/cargo specialists.

“One of the best parts of the job is that the managers I work with often invite me to come and visit their operations,” the Kirksville, Mo., native said with a smile. “Once again, my experience at UIU has helped enrich my personal life by allowing me to attend St. Louis Cardinal baseball and St. Louis Rams football games, and visit art museums, zoos, theaters and other venues that a great American city has to offer.

“During my career, I have met and talked with thousands of people over the years, helping them to land their dream jobs and achieve their career goals, while helping my organizations maintain and fulfill their mission for the U.S. Army,” she quickly added. “I would bet other alumni agree with me in that their adventure began at Upper Iowa University!”

Vose hopes in the near future to see her family set out on yet another quest as both Wesley and Sydney are considering continuing their education at UIU, thus further establishing it as a Peacock family tradition.