By: Meagan Roberts

Jessica McCarty has made an incredible impact on UW-Mad-

ison’s presentation to visitors. She is a decorated member of the UW-Madison Campus and Visitor Relations professional staff. She is the assistant director and has been a professional member of the Campus and Visitor Relations staff for eight years, but started as a member of the student staff during college. She was both a tour guide and tour guide coordinator, so she is no stranger to the office. Exemplified by her eight years as a professional staff member as well as her student position, Jessica has an unmatched passion for her work. She took a two-year break from the Campus and Visitor Relations office, in which time she worked at a destination-mar-keting firm. Although she had a

great experience there, she missed the higher education aspect of her job. She loved the student service component as a tour guide and tour guide coordinator, so coming back to Campus and Visitor Relations was the perfect fit. Being able to coach, mentor, and work with stu-dents is why she loves coming to work.

“It is very hard to have a bad day in this office. Youwill interact with any number of our student leaders, information guides, tour guides and your day will be brightened immediately. Just the passion, the enthusiasm, not only for what they are doing but passion teaching people about the university and helping them find information,” McCarty said.

Jessica is also an integral part of hiring new information and tour guides. She has worked hard to get the program to where it is today, and she knows these students are the future of the office. “More than anything, I look for someone with a positive attitude. What you are really doing is serving as the first and maybe only impression that someone may have of the University of Wiscon-sin-Madison, and a person who is a great candidate is someone who understands and respects that responsibility,” McCarty said. It is her incredible relationship with both her student staff and her pro-fessional colleagues that inspired them to nominate her for the Stu-dent Personal Association’s Award for Excellence in Higher Educa-tion Administration. She won the award in the spring of 2015, and was humbled by the experience. “I just feel very lucky to

have wonderful col-leagues who took time to think about what they’ve seen and their experiences working with me,” Jessica said. “I am honored that they would take the

time to honor me when any one of the people in this office could get that award eight times over.” Jessica’s dedication and passion for her work can be felt not only on campus, but around the nation as well, as visitors continue to enjoy a campus visit program that she has worked so carefully to perfect.

Jessica McCarty’s passion for the University of Wisconsin- Madison is seen by visitors nationwide through her

award-winning work with Campus and Visitor Relations.

LASTING IMPRESSIONS

“It is very hard to have a bad day in this office. You will interact with any number

of our student leaders, information guides, tour guides and your day will be brightened

immediately.”

Jessica McCarty meets with student staff to discuss new tour routes.Photo by: Bryce Richter, UW-Madison, University Communications