After Allison Anker graduates this Spring, she plans to attend law school and combine her WMU degree to work at the intersection of business and law, in transactional work for a major firm. She says that opportunities available to her in the Lee Honors College and WMU are helping to put her on the path to making that dream come true.
“One of the most unique opportunities I got through the Honors College was my ability to be a capital intern in Spring 2019, a program which bussed me out to Lansing twice a week to work for State Senator Rosemary Bayer during my freshman year of college. I was able to use this opportunity to move into a fellowship role during the summer of 2021, and work in the District Services Office of State Representative Julie Rogers,” Allison said.
The business law major (minoring in general business and political science) said the experience allowed her to work with a variety of people in the legislature while getting exposure on how to work in a professional environment.
While Allison’s experience as a capital intern helped to set her up for success, she says her experience back on campus has been more than beneficial as well.
“I have found all of my courses through the LHC to be very fulfilling, as I have found them all to utilize hands-on learning, which makes the material easier to retain and apply. Currently, I am working on my thesis, which has been a fantastic lesson in how to do rigorous academic writing and research.”
But the best part, she says, are the connections she’s made.
“Not only have I formed life-long friendships with amazing, inspiring, motivated students, but I have been able to learn from some amazing faculty in my LHC courses. Through being around such amazing people, I feel like I have grown so much not only as a student but as a leader, teammate, speaker, and future advocate.”
Allison had originally wanted to have an honors college experience when she was choosing where she would attend college. After touring WMU, she said it felt like home and appreciated the supportive and friendly nature of campus. After being offered the prestigious Medallion Scholarship, she said choosing WMU was a ‘no-brainer.’
“I was extremely excited when I found out that I could be a part of the LHC at WMU. When I was looking at schools something I prioritized heavily was the ability to be a part of an honors college, and WMU’s honors college really stuck out as a collaborative, supportive environment.”
Aside from the experiences Allison has taken advantage of in the Lee Honors College, she’s been a highly involved student from the moment she arrived on campus.
“I have been really heavily involved on campus since my freshman year. I have been a member of the student government, the Western Student Association, since my freshman year, and served as the VP of Public Relations, Speaker of the Senate, and currently work as the Chief Justice. I joined a business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi, my freshman year, and have worked as the VP of Pledge Education, Diversity Equity & Inclusion Chair, and currently work as the VP of Chapter Operations. This previous fall 2021, I founded the Women’s Business Network within the business college, to allow women to feel connected and supported by others. I worked as an Orientation Student Leader in the Summer of 2019, and have worked as a student ambassador for the Haworth College of Business since Spring 2020.”