CU Grads: Olivia

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Quote the Raven: Olivia
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Olivia

  1. What was the most memorable moment of your Carleton experience?

The most memorable moment of my Carleton experience was without a doubt visiting Los Trozos, Honduras in my second year as part of Carleton’s Alternative Spring Break program. Since I was only in my second year, I was new to transferring my classroom and campus knowledge to real world situations. I spent a week with peers from different faculties, years and backgrounds that had the same common goals and interests as I did with hands-on learning and community development. The community we worked in was immensely welcoming and taught invaluable lessons about the importance of education in Honduras and the struggles their community faced. This especially allowed me to recognize how grateful I am to have received an education at an institution like Carleton University, especially when given opportunities such as this one for community service learning. I have ambitions to return on similar trips and continue the passion I developed from this incredibly memorable trip during my degree.

  1. Which service centers were instrumental to your success as a student?

Career Services helped me greatly throughout my time at Carleton. Their wide variety of services helped me at every step along the way of preparing for the professional work field. I was able to receive resume assistance and guidance in my first year while looking for a part time job, as well as insight for my graduate school applications in my fourth year. Receiving this support from like-minded peers on campus was a great way to equip me with the skills and tools I needed to be the best future employee possible.

  1. Which community member has made a difference in your time here at Carleton?

Danielle McKeirnan has made an incredibly positive difference in my time here at Carleton. As the Student Activities and Engagement Coordinator, she oversaw the Fall Orientation program through the four years I participated in it. While working as an Orientation Coordinator, she provided exceptional guidance and support to myself and the rest of the orientation coordinator team. As I continued working at the Student Experience Office (SEO) as the Digital Student Lead, she was incredibly insightful as I grew my skill set with digital projects and social media production. To this day I have the pleasure of working with her in my post-graduate position of Digital Marketing Lead at the SEO. We have been able to brainstorm new and innovative approaches for the SEO that I look forward to implementing in the near future. I owe a great amount of my personal and professional growth to her incredible influence on my time here at Carleton.

  1. What achievement or experience are you most proud of from your years here?

I am the most proud of my experience working as a Fall Orientation Coordinator with the SEO in my third year.The Fall Orientation program was an integral part of my undergraduate degree, both through participating in it and volunteering during it. To be able to commit numerous months to planning and implementing this program for over 3000 incoming students at Carleton was an incredibly rewarding journey. Working as part of the team of Orientation Coordinators showed me the ability and strength university students can have in event planning and student leadership projects. We were lucky to have hundreds of dedicated student volunteers who carried out our programming and ensured the week was a success. Along with this position, I was able to spearhead Carleton’s Shinerama campaign where we raised $38,000 for cystic fibrosis research and care. The passion and motivation from our students hit an all-time peak in 2017 that has continued through Shinerama’s success into the 2018 campaign and onwards.

  1. What advice would you give to a new Carleton student?

My advice to a new Carleton student would be to honor where you are at in your university career. Many people suggest making as many connections as possible, applying to numerous extracurricular activities or setting loads of ambitions goals from day one. Looking back, I absolutely wish I joined more clubs or activities in my first and second year, and came out of my shell earlier on. However, these phases of my experience are what led me to get involved in meaningful opportunities later on and allowed me to grow exponentially as a student when I was ready to. Everyone’s university experience is unique and different, and you should never force an experience or decision that does not feel true to you at the time!

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