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Spending the past three years meeting prospective students in the University of Bridgeport’s admissions office got Martine Sixto thinking about her own future. Now, those same students are part of the reason why the office administrator will start classes this September in the University of Bridgeport's accelerated adult IDEAL program.
Her future goal is to work as an academic advisor there, which she says is a perfect fit for her outgoing personality and collegiate know-how.
“I want to become more of an asset to the University of Bridgeport so I am taking classes to help me climb the ladder here,” said the Darien resident.
She is also passionate about working with students. Before moving to the admissions office, Sixto had a similar job across campus in the residential life department, where she said she was able to make the students’ dorm experiences more enjoyable by simply listening to their complaints or greeting them with an enthusiastic, “Good morning.”
When she switched positions, they even gave her a plaque as a thank-you for her services. Sixto said those students now stop by to visit her.
“I was easy to talk to because I really listened to them. You have to be able to cater to whatever their needs are.”
Sixto also understands what it’s like to search for a direction in life. While she was taking classes at Norwalk Community College a few years ago, she worked as a peer counselor, where she helped her fellow students choose classes and majors. She even completed an assessment test to find out what career she would be best suited for, the results of which pointed to a career in teaching.
“Education leads to success and knowledge is power,” she said. “No one can take that away from you.”
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