Sara Marcketti

Alumni Office, Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors

Transformative study away trip to Ghana helped spark Marcketti's journey

Major/year graduated

M.S., Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors, 2002 (also have AB from UGA from 2000)

Current occupation/location

Assistant Provost and Executive Director, Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching and Morrill Professor, Apparel, Events, and Hospitality Management Department. Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

What do you love about your current role?

Our teaching center is embedded in the lives of faculty at ISU. We help provide resources, training, and partnership in elevating and rewarding the practice of teaching. It is so fulfilling to work in a position with colleagues who care about our students' success. I personally enjoy the different types of activities and conversations that I have the opportunity to be a part of that then have some small influence on reducing barriers for our students or creating space for conversations about teaching enhancement. I love the fact that I have a role that allows me to see issues and then take action, with the partnership of other units, to make a difference.

How did your time at FACS help prepare you for your life or career?:

 Being an out of state student, I struggled to find belonging when I first attended UGA. Finding the professor Dr. Patti Hunt-Hurst was a God-send for me. She encouraged me, provided me opportunities to plug into the Historic Clothing and Textile Collection, and through these opportunities gain confidence and belonging.

What is one memorable experience you had as a student in FACS?

In 2001, I accompanied Dr. Hunt-Hurst and two additional faculty members from Sociology and Architecture on a study abroad program to Ghana, West Africa. We stayed in country for four weeks, traveling from the south coast to northern border of Ghana. It was an amazing trip in learning about people, both from the U.S. and Ghana and experience firsthand the rich textile traditions. This trip was one of the catalysts for me deciding to pursue a Ph.D. in hopes of becoming a professor.