College of Liberal Arts
Stacey Goodwin discovered a passion for linguistics at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ. Through supportive faculty, engaging classes and a close-knit department, she gained confidence and found a community that shared her curiosity. Here's what she had to say about her experience.
Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Stacey Goodwin, and I'm a linguistics major. A fun fact about me is that I'm a dancer. I've been dancing since I was 2. I do ballet, tap, jazz and contemporary dance.
What brought you to ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ, and what made you decide it was the right place for you?
What brought me to ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ is that I grew up here in Fairbanks and graduated from West Valley High School. I graduated when I was 15 years old, and I had the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Performance Scholarship and the Nanook Pledge Scholarship. I knew I wanted to go to college, but I was only 15 and didn't want to move away and leave everything behind, so I thought ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ would be a great place to go.
My original plan was to stay at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ until I turned 18 and then transfer somewhere else. But within the first year or so, I realized I really liked it here and didn't want to transfer.
I can't remember a specific moment when I knew ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ was the right choice. I just know I love it here in Fairbanks. I love being with my family, and I love the connections I've made here. I didn't want to move somewhere else and start all over again.
In your own words, why study the liberal arts?
One of the biggest things I've gained from all of the classes I've taken in the College of Liberal Arts has been seeing other people's perspectives on the world and opening my mind. Instead of having tunnel vision and thinking only about my own experience, I've had the chance to learn through art, film and linguistics classes, all from different perspectives. I think that's a very important skill.
The biggest thing that stands out to me about studying the liberal arts is being able to see the world from someone else's perspective and walk in their shoes for a bit. It's taught me not to judge the way other people view or experience the world.
What has your experience in the Linguistics program been like, and what makes it special?
My experience in the Linguistics program has been awesome. I love it. All the professors, faculty and everyone in the department are so into linguistics, and I'm like, "Me too!" It's awesome.
When I started at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ, I didn't have a declared major, so I was just floating around. But once I declared linguistics, I really honed in on it. I realized there were all these other people who were into the same weird thing that I'm into. We're all just hanging out together and learning fun things.
How has your time at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ changed you, either academically, personally, or professionally?
I think my experience at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ has changed me. I've become a lot more confident and a lot more relaxed. I'm a perfectionist, and during my time at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ, I've learned to chill out a little bit. It's OK to have a little fun. It's OK to take a fun class. Life isn't all about work, work, work. Of course, work is important, but it's also OK to relax.
I've also become much more confident. At the beginning, you never would have caught me talking to one of my professors, emailing them or even talking to my classmates. That's one of the reasons I like the Linguistics program so much. It's a small department, so you really get to know the group of students who are taking the same classes as you. ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ has helped me become much more confident about putting myself out there and trying new things.
Was there a professor, mentor, or community that made a big impact on your journey? How?
Someone who has really impacted me at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ is Dr. Marlow. He's a linguistics professor and the academic advisor for all the linguistics majors. Once I declared my major, he became my advisor, and every semester we'd meet to talk about my classes.
One semester, I came in with my plan like always, and he said, "You sound really unsure about yourself. You don't have to do all of this right now. You can take a fun class. You don't have to graduate in four years. You can take a little more time. You're not even 18 yet."
At the time, I was a moody teenager, and I thought, "What are you talking about? I'm doing what I'm doing." But he planted that seed in my mind. The next semester, and the semester after that, I started to take his advice. Now I'm taking a one-credit yoga class with my friends just because I can. It's OK to have fun, and it's OK to take a fun class. Dr. Marlow definitely helped me become less perfectionistic.
What’s one experience at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ that really stands out to you, and why?
An experience at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ that stands out to me is taking LING 315, English for Second Language Teaching. It was combined with an English as a Second Language grammar class, so there were two kinds of students in the same room. The linguistics students were learning how to teach English grammar, and the ESL students were learning English grammar. It was so cool to see both perspectives and think, "This is what they're experiencing, and this is what the teachers are doing."
Another class that stands out is ACTG 310, Acting for the Camera. It was paired with a directing class, so you had actors learning how to perform for the camera and directing students learning how to direct people on set. It was so cool to have people with different goals in the same class. You could see what everyone was working on and how you could work together.
What are you excited about next, and how has ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ prepared you for it?
What I'm excited about next is that I've accepted a temporary position with the state elections office for the 2026 election. I'm super excited. I think it's going to be a lot of fun. ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ has helped me over the past four years by helping me become more confident and self-assured, along with giving me all kinds of skills through my different classes.
I'll be doing data entry, and I'm genuinely excited about it. Everyone thinks I'm being sarcastic, but I'm not. I really love data entry. That's one of the things I loved about my linguistics classes, especially phonology, morphology and syntax. They're all like little puzzles, and that's what's so much fun about them. This job is a bunch of little puzzles, too. You focus your mind on them, put all the data in, and it's awesome.
Congratulations again to Stacey on being recognized as an Outstanding Student. Learn more about the Linguistics program and the opportunities available to ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ students, and watch for more Outstanding Student spotlights from the College of Liberal Arts.
