Our People Barbara Bower, Assistant Director

If you've ever sat in on one of Barbara's presentations, it will come as no surprise she majored in speech communication. A fellow land-grant alum (Texas A&M), her love of words and endless enthusiasm for higher education is captivating and powerful.

What's your favorite sport?

I love the Olympic sports, especially winter sports. Competitive figure skating is probably the one I look forward to watching every year.

What’s on your bedside table?

I love to read and usually I am reading several books at a time. I love historical novels, biographies, inspiration and just about any book that teaches me something new. Currently, I’m reading Three Sisters, Three Queens by Philippa Gregory, The Brain Fog Fix by Dr. Mike Dow and Halftime: Changing Your Game Plan from Success to Significance by Bob Buford.

What was one of your more memorable trips?

One summer when my family took a weekend trip from Denver to Keystone Resort for some hiking, biking and recreation. After looking at a brochure that had pictures of “green” trails, I was convinced we could attempt mountain biking. Little did I know that green did not necessarily mean easy or beginner. I should've known that we were up for a challenge when the higher we went in the gondola, the more bikers we saw in full protective gear. The gondola took us all the way to the top of the mountain. The view was spectacular and the first fifteen minutes were manageable. We quickly got into some very challenging terrain and the brakes on our bikes were squealing and burning with overuse. At one point, our main goal dramatically shifted from enjoying the wonders of the high adventure to just simply getting down the mountain anyway we could without calling the authorities. We made it. We survived. And, we learned that we could get through anything if we stick together, take our time and practice LOTS of patience. I was happy to check that one off my bucket list!

Best part of being a member of the Admissions team?

The “team” is awesome! Everyone is so helpful, encouraging and positive. Every day, I look forward to coming to the office because I’m grateful to work with such an amazing group of incredibly talented and dedicated professionals. I also love meeting such remarkable students with extraordinary accomplishments who come to visit campus, attend our events, and/or contact our office with big dreams of pursuing a great education at Purdue.

Take you away to where?

Anywhere sunny, but my preference would be a sunny day of hiking in the Colorado Rockies.

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