Isaac Sattelmeier

Student, Bachelor of Business Administration in General Business 

Isaac Sattelmeier was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada and has lived in El Paso since 1998. He graduated from Montwood High School in El Paso in 2004 and started working for the El Paso Fire Department just two years later. Isaac's intention has always been to continue his education: he earned his associate's degree from EPCC in 2017 and is now a student in UTEP's BBA program. The bachelor's degree is a requirement for promotion in his current position as a Fire Captain with the El Paso Fire Department.   

To say Isaac leads a busy life is an understatement: He is married with three boys, all of whom all play sports. He works full-time and any free time is spent doing homework, yardwork or housework, and taking the boys to soccer or basketball practice. He also does volunteer work and is an active member at his church. The online BBA allows him to weave his education into the fabric of his life seamlessly, so he can live his life and acquire the education he needs to advance in his career. 

Isaac expects to graduate from UTEP in 2025.  

Why he enrolled in the program:

I enrolled in this program to meet a promotional requirement at work so I could further advance my career. I also have plans after my retirement from the fire department to help manage a business.

His experience with online learning: 

I have taken hybrid classes where you have scheduled discussions/lectures online in conjunction with face-to-face learning, but this is the first time that I have been enrolled in a fully online, self-paced, modular program. 

My previous experience with online learning was probably about ten years ago where it was more of a hybrid format with some face-to-face learning and some online scheduled discussion boards.

On how this degree has played a part in his employment:

This degree will allow me to be promoted further within the ranks of the fire department. The courses I am taking have already helped me with work. I am more proficient at using Excel and word processing applications and am also seeing improvement in how I analyze and interpret data. 

On whether he has the support he needs:

I have a lot of support at home from my family. When needed, there are also University resources such as virtual tutoring that are available for me. 

What he would say to prospective online students:

This program is challenging yet rewarding. It allows people who may not have otherwise had the ability to attend an in-person university to return to school and complete a college education. This program is a great option for anyone who is a full-time employee, full-time parent, or even just busy being a full-time adult.

On whether he would enroll in this program again if he had to do things over: 

I would definitely enroll in this program again if starting over. Given my current schedule (working full-time, parenting and extracurricular activities), there is no way I would be able to attend in-person classes. This program has allowed me to go back to school and complete my degree.