Shoutout to the Student Leaders on Campus
Part 1
By: Mallory Johnson
You may have noticed some Student Leaders on campus, especially during orientation. They were the people giving nervous first year students tours and making sure they found all their classrooms. I spoke to my friends Mandy Swidersky and Mckenna Graham Roberts, two first-time Student Leaders, all about their experiences being a leader this year so far!
Mandy uses she/her pronouns and is in her fifth and final year of her Bachelor of Arts. She is majoring in Gender and Women’s Studies and is minoring in both Math and Psychology. She became a Student Leader “because I wanted to help the first-year students find their way in university (both literally finding their classrooms and finding a way to be successful in university). I remember how safe I felt in my first year knowing that there were Student Leaders who would be willing to help and give me useful tips for being a new university student. I also wanted to meet some new people and learn about who they are and what their journey to BU was like.” Training was very relaxed and flexible. Kathleen Richards, who oversees the Student Leaders, emailed the Leaders back in August to let them choose from a variety of training dates. The training itself was simple; they went over what their roles would be throughout the year and Kathleen gave them a pep-talk to motivate those who were a little shyer. They were also given optional training for campus tours, provided by one of the long-term Student Leaders.
The Leaders assist with events occurring both on campus and virtually. It is their responsibility to help new and incoming students with any questions they may have throughout the year regarding class location, advice for studying, and more. Basically, “Student Leaders are mentors who are there to give advice and be a familiar face for those new to campus. Student Leaders also play a huge role in Orientation, where we provide campus tours and assist in the icebreaker part of the day.”
Regarding her favorite parts of being a Leader, Mandy said, “being a Student Leader has allowed me to meet a lot of new people and it makes me feel more connected to the BU community. Since we have been online for two years, it has been difficult to connect with others. It is wonderful to be able to meet people from all over the world and learn what made them want to attend BU. Another favorite part of being a Student Leader is seeing how confident new students become after Orientation occurs. At Orientation, most new students are terrified and have a fearful look in their eyes. Being able to calm their nerves and assist them in finding their classrooms is very rewarding. Now when I see some first years, I don’t see the same fear that they had on Orientation Day, and it is cool to see how fast they have adapted to university life.” Regarding her least favorite part, Mandy said assisting with the icebreaker portion was not ideal because she is a “more introverted person, so I really had to come out of my shell to take part in those activities.”
If she had the chance, Mandy would sign up to be a Student Leader again! She said, “It is such a fun and rewarding experience. The program is very flexible, allowing students to volunteer only when they feel they have the time to spare. The program leaders, Kathleen Richards, and Leanna Barcellona are wonderful and put a lot of time and effort into creating fun events for students on campus. They are also very appreciative of their Student Leaders, and often host small events to thank them for their work.” Mandy was able to reconnect with a lot of people she had met in her first two years at BU, who she had not connected with since before BU went online. It was nice for her to see some familiar faces and to work alongside some new people. Despite being online for two years, Mandy surprisingly did not have to remind herself where everything was and lead tours with ease.
Mckenna Graham Roberts uses she/her pronouns and was born and raised in Brandon. She loves hanging out with pets and playing video games with her friends. She is in her fourth year of the Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education Integrated program. In this program, they call their majors and minors “teachables,” and hers are History and Drama.
She became a student leader because, “in my first year, we were on campus until about March. I had a classmate in my Theatre class who suggested I become a Student Leader because she knew that I would love it so much. I signed up to be a Student Leader and then the pandemic hit. I didn’t hear anything until I got an email in the summertime asking me to sign up to be a Student Leader! I thought it was a great opportunity to meet new people and help the new to campus students.” The training did not take very long, you basically just needed to know the campus and have a great attitude! Mckenna said that “Kathleen and Leanne have been great to us, and they are trying to figure out what we need to do to make sure we succeed. We got to pick a training time frame and meet at the campus in the courtyard. We sat at a table and Kathleen did not actually have access to the campus yet. She started to ask us where the building was and if we knew any facts or what kind of classes went on in that building. On the day of Orientation, we had the opportunity to come early, and Danielle Moore would help everyone walk around if we needed another refresher.”
Continued in Part 2.