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Carving Her Own Path: Natalie Milburn

Natalie Milburn grew up in Fairbanks knowing ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ would be part of the journey. Through leadership in the Psychology Club, undergraduate research and close mentorship from faculty, Natalie built the confidence and experience to pursue graduate study and a meaningful career. Read on to learn more about Natalie's ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ journey.

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Natalie Milburn. I'm studying psychology with a minor in management and organizations.

A fun fact about me is that I've been working at Hungry Robot for the past few years. I'm super passionate about pizza. I'm also graduating this semester, so I'm very excited about that.

What brought you to ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ, and what made you decide it was the right place for you?

I came to ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ because I grew up in ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ. I've lived in Fairbanks my whole life, and I've always known that I would attend ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ. My dad graduated from here, and he's worked at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ for the last 20 years, so it's always been a part of my life. I wanted to stay in the community and learn from the people I grew up around.

There were also a lot of great scholarship opportunities at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ, and that was a big factor in my decision. It was financially very feasible, and it allowed me to build a savings account for my graduate education.

I earned the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Performance Scholarship at the highest level for attending high school in ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ, and I also received the Nanook Pledge Scholarship, which helped pay for my tuition each semester.

In your own words, why study the liberal arts?

I believe people should study the liberal arts because they give you a very balanced perspective on the world. I'm much more well-rounded because of studying the liberal arts at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ. I've learned so many different things, from people skills to statistics, research skills and technical writing. All of that was made possible because I studied the liberal arts. I've become a critical thinker and a better member of society because of it.

Studying the liberal arts has changed how I see the world because I'm able to see it through a much more analytical lens. I've gained the ability to critically analyze, zoom out and see the connections between so many different things, especially when it comes to policy and how people approach business. Studying the liberal arts has been really eye-opening.

What has your experience in the Department of Psychology been like, and what makes it special?

My experience in the Department of Psychology at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ has been really phenomenal. There is such a wonderful community of faculty, and I've been very lucky to serve as president of the Psychology Club. That has given me an inside view and the opportunity to work with faculty on presentations, movie nights and other events.

This last semester, we had an entire meeting with a couple of our faculty about how to apply to graduate school and what to prepare for, and that was really wonderful. I think the community of professors has been the most special part of my experience in the Department of Psychology. 

How has your time at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ changed you, either academically, personally, or professionally?

ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ has changed me by making me much more confident in myself and my abilities. I've gained so many skills that have really helped me become confident in my ability to research topics and discuss them at a higher level.

Because of that, I'm a very independent person, and I'm ready to carve my own path in the world. ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ has been integral to that growth.

What’s a challenge you faced during your time at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ, and how did you push through it?

One challenge I faced during my time at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ was deciding what to do during the summer between my junior and senior years. That's an important time to do an internship or another experience that really helps set you apart.

I ended up deciding to do research. The semester before, I went to my mentor and said, "I want to do a research project. Where do we go from here?" He directed me to the Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity office. I applied for a summer research grant and received full funding for my project. Now I have research experience under my belt, and that has been incredibly valuable.

My project focused on worker cooperatives, which are employee-owned and democratically run businesses. I was primarily looking at the culture within these businesses because their structure is so different. It's very flat. I interviewed people who work in cooperatives to learn more about their experiences and what makes worker cooperatives special.

Through that project, I've developed a real passion for employee ownership, and I'm hoping to work in that area in the future.

Was there a professor, mentor, or community that made a big impact on your journey? How?

I would love to shout out my mentor, Dr. Kevin Walters. He has been there since day one for me. I took my first two psychology classes with him during my first semester at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ, and ever since then, he has been there to support me.

I've TA'd for a couple of his writing classes, and he was also there to support me while I was working on my research project. He's been with me through thick and thin, and I'm very grateful for all of the support he's given me over the years.

Having a mentor means having support. It means having someone to go to whenever you're struggling with a class or you're not sure what the next step is with your degree or your career. They're there to help guide you through your undergraduate experience and lead you toward a path where you can succeed.

I was able to build that mentorship with Dr. Walters simply by talking to him after class, asking questions about the material we covered and visiting his office hours. I also reached out to him for interviews for other classes, so just keeping that relationship going has been very helpful.

What advice would you give to future ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ students?

The advice I would give to future ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ students is to talk to your professors, go out into your community and build those connections because they're going to follow you throughout your life.

The other thing I'd like to add is that ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ wasn't only about academics for me. I was also able to support my hobby of ceramics by working with the art department, and that has been a great way to balance the academic side of college. I loved getting to work with clay, make something with my hands and really enjoy my time at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ.

It doesn't all have to be academics or being the perfect student all the time.

 

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Congratulations again to Natalie on being recognized as an Outstanding Student. Learn more about the Department of Psychology and the opportunities available to ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ students, and watch for more Outstanding Student spotlights from the College of Liberal Arts.