Crystal Waller

Two hours before the application deadline at Towson several years ago, Crystal Waller submitted her completed paperwork.  Since then, doors at home and abroad haven’t stopped opening  for Waller.

Her love of travel led Waller to participate in three international opportunities. “Each study abroad trip helped shape my academic decisions,” Waller says.  In January 2014, she traveled to Bordeaux, France, for a three-week field study of the marketing of wine. 

The summer of 2014, she participated in an intensive Chinese language study abroad program in Beijing. “It was a very humbling experience because going into it I was very confident about my ability to speak Chinese until I landed and tried to resolve a cell phone problem on my own,” recounts Waller.

In Beijing, she spent every day in Chinese language class with other international students at the Beijing Language and Culture Institute. “Our teachers did not speak English, so we were forced to speak the language,” explains Waller.  After bombing on the first test, she received the second highest grade in the class for the summer session. “It is amazing that my language improved that fast,” says Waller. “It was also great to make the connections and scout places where I would like to live in China.” Most recently, she spent a semester abroad in Queensland, Australia, taking courses at Griffith University.

On the Towson campus Waller has been a student consultant for the College of Business and Economics. Waller led panel discussions, worked at open houses and attended nearly all events involving prospective students.  She also served as community service chair for Alpha Kappa Psi, the oldest and largest business fraternity in the world, helping them reach their goal of more than 250 hours of community service during that semester. Among her most memorable service activities: “Every Wednesday morning, I served breakfast at Our Daily Bread. People are so thankful. They have so much gratitude for the simplest gestures.”