Sydney Meisinger is not your typical college student. It has been ten years since she graduated from Columbus High School in Columbus, Nebraska. Her tenure within higher education has spanned multiple colleges as well as degrees. It all started in UNL and then transitioned to Milford for construction management. As she progressed through the program, she discovered that this was not direction she wanted to go, but not before gaining a passion for building cabinetry – a hobby she still participates in with her father.
Sydney finally came to settle on UNO College of Business Administration with the intention of getting a bachelor’s degree in business administration. This is her first completed degree. She started part-time in the beginning of spring of 2020. When the Nebraska Promise was released, Sydney applied and was accepted. She began going to school as well as working full-time.
That full-time job, a sales position at Nebraska Furniture Mart, groomed her into a more business mindset. During her employment, Sydney has learned different facets of how the organization operates from the sales floor to supply chain. After receiving a couple of promotions, her focus narrowed into the merchandising aspect of the business. Currently she manages the ordering for the appliance division.
Sydney credits her job at NFM as a useful resource while moving through the supply chain courses at the CBA. Heavy usage of discussion boards embedded within the course asks students to give their thoughts on specific topics. Having firsthand knowledge of how companies operate through shortages and supply issues proved a valuable insight to the class. With this advantage of experience in the field, Sydney did express a desire to go deeper into supply chain perhaps with access to research papers or projects.
When asked about highlights of going to UNO, Sydney had to say this. “I had a lot of excellent professors. I don’t think I had a bad professor.” She truly enjoyed the in-person classes for the interactions with the faculty. “They really related their course work to real-world topics and caused you to think a little bit differently.”
UNO has supported not only through the Nebraska Promise, but also through providing flexible learning with online courses. Sydney had her first baby last year and having the access to do her classes remotely helped to relieve some of the stress of going to school as an adult with additional responsibilities. Sydney also lives in Plattsmouth – a half an hour south of Aksarben – and commutes to both her on-campus classes and work.
As for future goals and ambitions, Sydney wants to stay on with Nebraska Furniture Mart and continue to rise within that organization. Regardless of where she will end up, she says that her time with NFM and UNO has given her plenty of experience and the tools she would need to move on to a different company.
By way of advice for a young student, Sydney advocates patience. “It’s ok to take your time. It’s ok to change your mind. You don’t have to complete everything in four years. If you need to take a breather to figure out what you want to do, I recommend that. That way you have a better understanding.”