This week’s Campus Celebrity is Matt Gallagher, the newest member of the Residential Life and Housing staff. Matt is the new Hall Director of the Johnson Sanford Center and is very excited to be welcomed into the Clark community and get to know life in Worcester. Read on below to learn more about Matt!
Hometown: I live in Sterling, MA but most of my life was spent in North Andover, MA.
College major: Sociology
Favorite sports team: New England Patriots!
Fun fact: My girlfriend Hannah and I go to Disney at least once a year! It’s something we started doing when we first met and now it’s become a tradition.
What drew you to working in Residential Life and Housing and specifically to Clark?
At Dean College, my alma mater, I was heavily involved with residence life and student affairs. I was a CA (same thing as an RA) for three years, an office assistant for residence life and always the go to person when it came to resident concerns and housing matters. I loved every second of it and it was something I really enjoyed and could see myself doing for years to come. I was drawn to Clark because it’s a liberal arts school, it’s small and I love what it’s all about.
Can you tell us about your roles and responsibility as a hall director?
As a Hall Director I am responsible for day to day operations for my building. I handle things such as room changes, roommate issues, damages, etc. I also supervise a staff of Resident Advisors and make sure they have the best resources possible to connect with their residents. I also serve as a judicial board hearing officer where I hear cases ranging from lockouts to underage drinking and decide what the best course of action may be.
Favorite aspect of the job?
There is never a dull day as a hall director, but my favorite part of the job is being involved in students’ college experiences. I was always told that college is the best 4 years of your life and I never believed it until I actually lived through it. My hall director in college had a huge impact on my life and is one of the main reasons I chose to pursue a career in higher education. I hope to do the same thing for other students as my hall director did for me and make their college experience one they will never forget.
How do you like Clark?
Clark has been great so far (now that I don’t get lost and know what each building is). Starting a new job is always tough but when you start two weeks into the semester, it’s even harder. Everyone has been very welcoming and the staff and the students have been great to me, which has made the transition so much easier!
Biggest difficulty you’ve found transitioning from a college student to a working adult?
The biggest transition for me was not having so much down time in the middle of the day. Being a recent college grad I was used to taking naps, going to the gym and doing laundry all at random times of the day. Now, all of that stuff has to get done at night or on the weekends.
Any advice for current students?
My advice would be to have a plan. You don’t necessarily need to know what you’re going to do for the rest for your life but you don’t want to be in limbo after graduation.
How do you feel about being a Campus Celebrity?
It feels great! Just to have my name and the word “celebrity” in one sentence is something I never thought would happen!
Anything else you would like us to know?
My hobbies include traveling, working out, trying new foods, attending sports games, and binge watching TV shows.