February 20, 2022
On Monday, Feb 7th, Zeta Phi Eta hosted their first event since the organization reestablished itself in fall of 2021. “Alumni Night” was an hour-long event aimed to give students a chance to listen about speakers, Stacy Argue and Jaffe Wojcik’s, professional experiences in the field of communication.
“It was our first time doing an event like this, so it was pretty new. Just hearing some of their tips for how they handle their career life was pretty helpful to me,” said Zeta Phi Eta President Logan Komprood.
The event featured Argue, a UW-Whitewater alumni, and Wojcik, a wedding planner in the Lake Geneva area as the two speakers. Argue opened the event by exploring her education at Whitewater, her experience receiving approximately 10 certifications, along with sharing her diverse job history.
“I graduated from UWW in 2004 and have come back to be a guest speaker in Bill Lowell’s class almost every year since. I am always filled with excitement when I come back. I love the positive feelings of nostalgia, while also seeing all the progress the University has made over the years,” said Argue.
“Each year, based on what has passed in my life, revisiting the University helps me to see the different perspectives that I gained while at UWW and how they have impacted my life. I also enjoy connecting with the students – seeing the differences and the similarities in their experiences compared to my own. I enjoy learning from their questions and curiosities, and I leave with new ideas to reflect on for my hour drive home.”
One topic Argue explored during her 30-minute speech was the differences between being a manager versus being a leader.
“Sometimes there’s a manager, but there is somebody else on the team who is the leader. The go-to person, or the person who can scan the environment and respond very well. Leadership and management take two different forms. A leader is somebody who people are going to, that they count on,” said Argue.
As stated before, the event also featured Wojcik, who currently runs a wedding planning business called Graceful Events that serves the Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois areas. Wojcik said she started her business as a way to work while still having time to spend with her three children and husband. Today, Graceful Events has planned over 1,000 weddings.
One point Wojcik shared with students in attendance was her “formula for success.” She created this list around her experience as a wedding planner and business owner but says that students can apply it to their passions in life.
Wojcik said her formula is as follows: “First, I identified a problem people were having. Second, I assessed the competition in the market to see if there was space for me. Third, I created a detailed plan to creatively solve the problems people were having. Fourth, I created a business model that served our clients, but also provided great opportunities for my staff. And fifth, we delivered exceptional customer service.”
She finished her presentation by sharing an internship her company is looking for the right person to fill the position most of all.
Zeta Phi Eta’s first event while back on campus had an engaged audience eager to ask questions to Argue and Wojcik alike.
“We were hoping students would learn how the real world works when it comes to their careers. I think there’s only so much we can do in the classroom, but being able to talk to people that do some of the careers we are looking to be a part of is a huge thing,” says President Komprood.
In the future, Komprood says Zeta Phi Eta will be planning more events for students in the Communication Department. This potentially includes another Alumni Night.
If you are interested in the internship with Graceful Events, contact [email protected] or find their Instagram at @graceful_events_weddings.
