Outside the classroom, I am and have been engaged in many different things throughout my college career. On campus, I have found many opportunities to sharpen my leadership, teamwork, and other career-based skills. Away from campus, I work in the Bozeman community where I have become a gracious, customer-oriented, personable employee. And on top of all of this, I exercise my creative and adventurous sides.
Students at an ePortfolio workshop
A cohort of students I mentored
My sophomore year, I was given the opportunity to serve as a peer mentor when my own peer mentor nominated me for the role. I have been a part of MSU's Sophomore Surge program since then, with five semesters of mentoring, leadership, and community-building under my belt. Each semester I have participated in the program, I have been paired with a group of 14-20 first-year students in a seminar class. Over the course of a semester it's my job to build community, make personal connections with each student, assist in the flow and facilitation of class, and relay any and all resources students might need as they adjust to college life. Each different class has offered their own challenges, rewards, and lessons, and the program has afforded me amazing opportunities to learn and grow as a student, a mentor, and a friend.
Because of my work in peer mentoring, I was approached during the summer between my junior and senior year to work as an intern on a new program at MSU: ePortfolios. When I began, the program was not much more than an idea, but I was able to build the website for it, which included creating materials like graphics and workshop guidelines, and I also planned out how to implement the program in the fall semester of 2021. Not only did this opportunity fulfill the internship requirement for my major in English Writing, but it also turned out to be something I am acutely interested in. Not only will I be able to continue with the program next year with the Digital Literacy Integration Team on campus, but I may be able to expand my work into graduate school as I pursue a Masters in Adult & Higher Education with a concentration on Student Affairs.
I have always loved staying busy, and my employment exemplifies this. Not only do I work on campus, but I also am employed in the Bozeman community, both at a family-run community-oriented restaurant called Colombo's Pizza, and at American Legion Post 14 as a bartender. At Colombo's, I worked my way up to a management position in under a year, and enjoy the fast-paced and customer-oriented environment. At the Legion, I bartend, which allows me to meet many of the amazing veterans that the post serves and supports. Both of these establishments are pillars of the Bozeman community, and have allowed my time here to be enriched by connections I've been able to make.
Crocheted creations that I make in my free time
Backpacking in the mountains near Bozeman, MT
A mid-winter hike to Lava Lake, near Bozeman MT
Recreating the beauty of my surroundings through paint
Moving from Sacramento to Bozeman gave me the unique opportunity to more intimately engage with nature and the mountains that are so much closer in Montana than they are in California. I have discovered passions for hiking, backpacking, and camping, and have had many wonderful chances to experience Big Sky Country. When the cold of winter becomes a bit much for my California sensibilities, I enjoy focusing my energy on creating. Though my main passion is writing, I have loved needlework since I was 9 years old, and my love of painting began not long after that. Being able to express myself in different mediums has been such a blessing in my life, since I am not restricted to just one way of thinking and presenting my thoughts.
