Shayna DePersia, also known as Shay, has big plans for Ithaca College. As a sophomore integrated marketing communications student, she is passionate about advertising and design and has landed several prominent roles in her favorite student organizations. Shay is currently undergoing a paid internship with Ithaca College’s Hillel, a Jewish community on campus. She is also our very own social media manager and advertising chair! Here’s the scoop on how she manages it all:
(Shayna Depersia, Right)
HC Ithaca: Describe your typical day.
Shayna DePersia: Would you like a Monday or a Tuesday (laughs)? Every day is different, but generally I always wake up and have banana cereal (see my latest article in our Blog section for the recipe!) for breakfast. Then I go to campus and stay there until around 7 p.m. for classes, hanging out with friends and meetings. I also work to get the freshmen involved while I’m on campus each day, and that’s part of my internship with Hillel.
HCIC: What are your responsibilities as the engagement intern and chair of innovation for Hillel?
SD: As an engagement intern, I interact with the students of Ithaca (primarily freshmen) to share with them how important it is to be part of a community and also how fun Hillel can be. For chair of innovation, I’m in the financial sector of the board. I think of fundraising ideas and help generate new methods of getting more students involved. I also manage the online aspects of Hillel, keeping track of the social media and emailing prospective students and their parents when they have questions.
HCIC: What is your favorite part of being involved on campus?
SD: I love meeting new people, and this gives me an excuse to without looking like a weirdo.
HCIC: How do you manage your time for all of your activities both on and off campus?
SD: I have three calendars! I need to write things down at least once, but I also have to put it in my phone so that it will alert me right before an event letting me know where I’m supposed to be. Sometimes I forget, so I’d rather be safe than sorry. I also always need time to myself to function, so no matter what I give myself two hours a day for downtime.
HCIC: What advice do you have for students who want to become more involved in campus organizations?
SD: You need to figure out what you like first. For example, I like communicating and meeting new people, so I got an internship that is all about meeting new people and engaging with them. I also like fundraising and creating events, so I got on the board where that is my job. If you know what you like to do, that makes it easier to narrow down. The next step is figuring out what type of organization you want to be in. Do you want to be in something that relates to your major, or do you want to do something like sports? Once you figure out what type of club or organization you want to be in, you do everything you can to get a spot in it. I like to live by the quote, “If you haven’t felt like quitting, your dreams aren’t big enough.” Even if it’s getting stressful and you feel like you can’t even handle the application, if it’s something you want, you have to push yourself.