During the college application process, a key component I was looking for was campus involvement. Since middle school, being active in student organizations has been a major part of my identity. I wanted to make sure this could continue in my undergraduate and graduate studies to enhance not only my identity, but also my personal and professional development.
As an undergraduate, my goal was to get involved in as many groups as possible for the purpose of exploration and forming connections with faculty and peers, as well as the personal fulfillment of wanting to stay busy. As a graduate student, that perspective has since shifted. I’m still heavily involved around campus, but the roles I have in each group are giving me real world experiences and helping me define the direction I want my career to take. Campus involvement is about purpose rather than just membership since I’m gaining the essential skills I need to thrive in the higher education industry.
One prime example of this changed perspective is performing in musical ensembles around JCU. I’ve been a clarinet player in the university’s pep band since my first year of undergrad, as well as a performer for Sunday night mass since my third year. While pursuing my bachelor’s degree, my involvement in music at John Carroll was for the sake of remaining active on my instrument and developing a sense of belonging. As this started becoming an integral part of my college experience, my participation from undergraduate to graduate studies evolved from simple membership to stewardship. I view these performances as an opportunity to be a part of providing school spirit and creating an impact on the campus community through making music. Over the last five years of being a student at JCU, my membership has moved from only playing my instrument to serving as a leader that understands the importance of musical presence at college campuses and strives to preserve that existence for future generations.
My graduate assistantship with JCU’s Center for Digital Media (CDM) has allowed me to get my foot in the door when it comes to working in higher education. This opportunity arose not only as a result of high academic achievements during my undergraduate studies, but also the skills I developed at the campus jobs I worked at. While my roles as a mentor for first-year students, peer learning facilitator and marketing intern for the Academic Success Center were about building basic resume skills, this assistantship has altered my role at JCU from just being a student to a faculty collaborator.
Instead of just taking advantage of the CDM, as undergraduate students would do, I am partly responsible for advancing this campus resource. Through facilitating workshops and class field trips, handling department marketing, as well as helping JCU community members navigate multimedia, 3D printing and artificial intelligence, I have been able to get a glimpse of various areas of higher education and form connections with people all over the university from a faculty’s perspective. Transitioning from undergraduate jobs to a graduate assistantship has played a huge role in determining that higher education is the career for me to pursue.
My other campus job is working for JCU Fine & Performing Arts as a music assistant, which has seen the biggest shift between my undergraduate and graduate studies. For the first two years of this role, I was in charge of overseeing the music library, which was focused on consistent organization and inventory keeping. During my fourth year, my relationship with the arts at John Carroll abruptly changed when I stepped into the position of an interim directing role with the pep band. In addition to keeping the music library up-to-date, I was running rehearsals, coordinating performances and taking care of behind-the-scenes logistics.
Today, my position for JCU Fine & Performing Arts is being an assistant to the current director, in addition to a music librarian. To the other members of the pep band, I’m not only a peer, but also an authority figure. Since coming into graduate studies with previous experience leading the group, I serve a hybrid role between helping the director ensure events and behind-the-scenes logistics run smoothly, as well as enhancing students’ experience and the organization’s presence around campus. I view my responsibilities as contributions to enhancing the arts at JCU and making the pep band better rather than only crossing things off a to do list.
When it comes to finding student organizations to join, don’t gain membership just to fill a seat. Instead, join to make an impact. In addition to striving to leave a club better than it was found, identify ways contributions can turn into a sense of purpose not only as a member of activities, but also going forward in personal and professional life post-JCU.
What began as remaining active for personal fulfillment during my undergrad has evolved into a purpose that is laying the foundation of my future as a graduate student. Each campus involvement opportunity I’ve taken advantage of has not only helped with enhancing my development, but also strengthened my sense of belonging at John Carroll University.
