Shiloh Schlauderaff
Shiloh Schlauderaff plans to work as an event coordinator after she graduates. When she isn’t studying, Shiloh spends her time reading, going for walks, doing yoga, and video calling family.
Get to know Shiloh
- Major: Event management
- Minor: Hospitality management
- Class: Senior
- Hometown: Grand Rapids, Minnesota (Itasca County)
- Career goal: Event coordinator
- Clubs/activities: The S.H.O.P. food pantry, DubH dance group, Relay for Life
- Awards/honors/scholarships: Third place in International CHRIE John & Wales Case Study Competition, Helen Brett Scholarship
- Favorite place on campus: Parks Library
- Most influential ISU mentor: Jamie Beyer
- Favorite class: EVENT 486, Advanced Event Production
- Why Iowa State: Closest to hometown, offered substantial financial aid, one of few schools that offer an event management program
Shiloh Schlauderaff leads in event management internship, ready for career of adventure
With her zeal for coordinating and planning social events for friends and the nationally-ranked event management program within the College of Human Sciences, Shiloh’s decision for where she was going to attend college was an easy one to make. Since beginning her event and hospitality studies at Iowa State University, Shiloh has blossomed into a well-rounded, experienced event planner.
When Shiloh was in high school, she said that the career paths encouraged for students to pursue were mostly STEM-oriented. She knew that wasn’t for her, but struggled to find a suitable career path until she began to research majors based on her interests and strengths.
“I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to find a good fit for me,” Shiloh said. “I had to dig into my hobbies and skills, and what made me feel good. I found that I liked planning and coordinating events.”
Once she began her event management studies at Iowa State, things fell into place; she was taking classes that prepared her for an ever-changing career in events.
“Iowa State offers a really great variety of courses for you to take. The courses [I’ve taken] here have prepared me to actually coordinate and plan events,” she said.
A life-changing experience for Shiloh was her food and beverage hospitality internship with Aspen Meadows Resort in Aspen, Colorado. There, Shiloh’s environment changed each day with banquets, festivals, and other kinds of events for high-profile clients. Her favorite event was a dinner for Aspen Meadows trustees, where she had the opportunity to lead the whole event, from the cocktail hour all through the after-dinner bar session.
“It was fun to see everything go in an [assembly] line, and see it go really smooth,” she said. “[The internship] all compiled to who I am now and what I want now. Leading all the events drove me to the career I’m pursuing now.”
Shiloh hopes to work as an event coordinator for exhibitions and trade shows after she graduates. With her combined academic and professional experiences, Shiloh is confident she will be able to secure a job that she loves, and most importantly, keeps her on her toes.
“Wherever I go, I just want to make sure it’s always changing,” she said.
Student Spotlights