If Meagan Spurr wants something done, it will happen. And then some.

The marketing major and American Marketing Association (AMA) president thought business students would benefit from an industry tour in Chicago, an advertising hot spot — so she organized a three-day educational excursion to three Windy City companies that each showcased a different side of marketing.

Spurr enjoys sports especially basketball and decided to get involved in intramural athletics on campus — she became a motivational team captain.

And when Spurr learned there were campus-based opportunities for volunteering, she found ways to share her skills to help others improve theirs — for example, she organized an event through Gleaners which provided students the opportunity to volunteer for a good cause to help package food and feed those in need in Southeast Michigan.

“By getting involved and helping connect people to information they need to reach personal and professional goals, you learn about your community and yourself.”

Meagan, in her own words

On keeping it together. "It’s busy balancing school, organizations, work, volunteering and sports. But people balance all the time — what makes someone successful at it is prioritizing your time. I’ve learned to do this by making a list of things I need to do and trying to keep to a schedule. Do I have multiple exams? Is there a PowerPoint I need to create for a conference? Do I have a meeting I need to be at? I dedicate time to those activities, set a cutoff time and push myself to get things done in the time set aside. Then I go to my next priority. It keeps me on task. Of course there are times where things don’t go exactly how I expect, but then — depending on deadlines — you either stay up late or evaluate the schedule. Sure, sometimes it can be stressful, but I like when things are fast-paced. It motivates me. Learning how to do that is an important skill I can use way past graduation in several areas of my life."

On exploring strengths. "I’ve always known I wanted to pursue a career that uses creativity or a career to help others. Marketing combines both — it’s about using innovation thinking to connect people with something that will positively impact them. But I wasn’t sure exactly what area of marketing was right for me. UM-Dearborn has so many ways for students to explore that — organizations, like AMA; a variety of classes, professors who have experience in different aspects of marketing (sales, advertising, event planning, digital and more), marketing internships, the list goes on."

"I’m leaning toward event planning right now and one of my professors has connected me with a summer internship where I’ll be helping plan auto events in Michigan — one is a Woodward Dream Cruise Show and Exposition. If you put yourself out there and get involved, UM-Dearborn has so many ways to help you pinpoint your strengths, grow your confidence and connect you to what you want to do after graduation."

On finding motivation close to home. "My family motivates me. They have been great examples on the importance of getting out there to meet people and to volunteer. I remember starting at the age of seven, going with my Papa, who was a Knights of Columbus member, to sell Tootsie Rolls to benefit the Special Olympics. I come from a hard-working family who always finds the time to help others and volunteer no matter what they have going on in their lives. That motivates me to do the same."

"A really nice thing about UM-Dearborn is that it gives you access to so many ways to help others, both on campus and off. I’ve done food drives, worked at soup kitchens, ran bake sales to help collect donations for charity, packaged food bundles at a food bank, and more. As AMA president, next semester I look to provide not only more opportunities for students to grow their professional careers but also provide more volunteering opportunities for students to get involved in. Overall you’ll meet some great people while volunteering too. It’s a way to serve the community while building a sense of community."