Alumni Spotlight: A graduate’s unique path from the marines to MESA alum

After experiencing a few career changes, David Schwoebel decided he wanted to further his career as a high-school science teacher and gain a better understanding of statistics to take more analytical approaches to assessments. Graduating in the Fall of 2022, Schwoebel earned his Master of Education in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics and Assessment from UIC.

After completing the MESA program, Schwoebel felt like the knowledge he gained gave him the confidence to be a mouthpiece for his community. Learn more about Schwoebel’s career path, the benefits of the program, and how he never felt alone while completing his online degree.

You said you’ve transitioned careers more than once; can you give us a brief overview of your career journey before starting the MESA program?
After attending community college for a year, I enlisted in the marines for 4 years. I was in aviation ordinance working as a technician. Once I came back to the Chicagoland area, I began coaching different programs for suburban park districts while I finished my associate degree in science. I then got a job working for a corrugating company in Chicago as part of their quality assurance department working with statistics and running tests, which was a lot more complicated than I ever would have thought. I then went on to get my bachelor’s degree to become a teacher. I have now been a science teacher for the last 10 years.

What factors led you to choose the online MESA program at UIC?
As a veteran, I received money from Illinois to attend a state-funded school for free, so my choices were limited. When I researched schools, I found that UIC’s program was completely online. I also had friends graduate from UIC, and they loved it.

To have the UIC MESA program exclusively online and asynchronous was so helpful. I have a full-time job, a house, and three kids, so there’s a lot going on in terms of my availability. The flexibility of the program and the university’s notable reputation in mathematics pushed me into deciding to apply to UIC.

What skills did you gain or sharpen through your MESA program and how do you use them today? 
Part of my job is testing systems that we use at the high school level.  As a population, we are behind in terms of statistics and understanding what numbers are really telling us. We may understand how decisions are made, but we don’t always understand how statistics really work. This impacts high school teachers because when a statistic comes out there is a metric that’s being looked at, and we need to understand where that came from. There’s also technology available now that doesn’t require us just having to bubble in answers like we used to. We can do more advanced analytical approaches to assessments. Understanding statistics helps utilize these different approaches, and not only for me as an individual, but it allows me to be a mouthpiece for my community as well.

What was your biggest takeaway from your MESA degree?
My biggest takeaways were learning about the many ways people can slice up information and how to appropriately assess something. You begin to understand how often bad statistics are utilized. It was shocking to learn how many nuances are involved in knowing how you want to approach data, and even with the best of intentions you could mislead yourself. I learned to embrace the gravitas that is statistics and the body of work that is involved. It was a humbling experience, and it also gave me this perspective, and maybe appreciation too, of what it really means to work with statistics.

What was a challenge you faced during your program, and who or what helped you overcome it?
Statistics is a different language. I really had to humble myself in terms of relearning things that I thought I already knew. The MESA professors were also so accommodating. I was in the program during the height of covid, and I never got the runaround. When I had questions, I would ask Dr. Everett Smith to give me a call and he never hesitated to set up a call or return my emails. I never felt like I was alone and maybe that’s part of the testimony to applying for the MESA program at UIC. Even when I struggled to learn this new language, there was always someone willing to help.

What advice would you give to prospective students considering the MESA degree or certificate program at UIC? 
My advice would be to really ask yourself what you want out of your degree, and then keep your expectations attainable. We’re all striving for success, and I think people feel like they must learn everything to consider it a win. I think you’ll drive yourself crazy if your expectations are unattainable. Figure out how you want your degree to set you up for success and set your expectations accordingly.

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MESA online quantitative research graduates are in high demand. Receiving this nationally ranked graduate degree or certificate, students are ready to succeed in a variety of research settings and environments. Choose from two online programs, a Master of Education Degree or a Graduate Certificate, and begin your journey today. Talk to enrollment specialist to learn more about these online programs.