SUU to Attorney, Rancher, and Mom

As the first child from her family to go away to college, Charmaine Wilde (’08, political science) knew she wanted an atmosphere where she could thrive and be more than just another college student. She found that, and more, at Southern Utah University. 

A 2002 graduate of Utah’s Taylorsville High School, Charmaine discovered that SUU’s small, nurturing environment was for her, as well as the abundance of opportunity to be involved in a variety of campus programs.

Known during her SUU years as Chow Milner, Charmaine immersed herself in campus life with the SUU student association, judicial council, Orchesis dance team, the honors program, and the local chapter of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, which she helped create. As a political science major, she was part of Pi Sigma Alpha honor society, and was also a member of the philosophy club, LDSSA, and served as a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters, where she mentored a young woman for three years. She maintains contact with that young woman and has continued to help her through the years.

Charmaine completed most of her classes in 2005, and then put her education on hold to serve an LDS mission in Hawaii. Upon her return, she married and moved to Texas where she finished her degree through independent studies and online. Charmaine is ever grateful to SUU faculty and staff who created the path so she could finish her degree at SUU and begin law school at Baylor University the fall of 2009.

Charmaine enjoyed her social life while a student and says, “Fun was never hard to find at SUU.”

Fun college memories include hiking, hanging out at the Pastry Pub with friends, and having a party for her space heater when it died.

Another fond memory was attending a theatre arts and dance department awards banquet at the end of the year. She heard that everyone “dresses up” for the event and she thought that meant costumes since it was theatre and dance, so she dressed up like a pirate. In the end everyone was in formal ball gowns, prom dresses, and tuxedos. “I was a pirate, and even had to go on stage for something dressed as a pirate among all the fancy dresses,” she says.

Charmaine still keeps herself busy with her children and the family ranch in Texas she runs with her husband. She is also a local attorney, president of the Legal Professionals in her county, and helped create a young lawyers group in the area. She teaches free ballet classes, volunteers at the preschool and primary school for her kids, and enjoys doing yoga, reading, gardening, and running.