This week’s campus celebrity is someone I am sure you all know. She is a senior biology major who recently got accepted into Cooper Medical School in Camden, and just so happens to be the SGA Vice President. You guessed it – we’re talking about Christine Collins.
Christine Collins found her place in SGA back in her freshman year when she started a club on campus, and also made friends with members of the Executive Board. She felt that SGA was the perfect way to make an impact and be involved on campus. She knew she wanted the VP position when she expanded her involvement circle on campus. Her excitement for college drove her to meet friends, explore her interests, and “figure out [her] identity and goals.” When the SGAVP position opened up, she instantly knew it was the right fit for her and she eagerly went for it, excited by the opportunity to leave her mark at Rowan through the clubs and organizations under SGA.
When she decided to run for Vice President, the schoolwide election process was scary – and with good reason! Throughout the process, Christine was forced to step out of her comfort zone to campaign, but it taught her a lot about herself, and her capabilities as a leader. She was also able to fully embrace her Rowan spirit, which only grew when she received constant support and words of encouragement from her Rowan family. She says “It showed me how Rowan is my home full of a very supportive family that accepted me no matter how corny my campaign slogans may have been!”
When we asked Christine what the challenges are that come with this job, she told us that it’s all about finding the right balance between SGA, academics, and fun. “It’s easy to get wrapped up in the workload of being a member of the SGA Executive Board, and the work truly never ends. There are always e-mails flooding my inbox, new clubs wanting to form, and incoming student concerns. However, I have come to truly realize that in order to effectively promote change for the Rowan student body I have to be happy and healthy myself! It’s so much easier to get work done when I have a positive attitude, and luckily I have a great Executive Team to always lift my spirits and a truly supportive Rowan family that make it easy to always have a smile on my face!”
She makes it through the workload with her motivation fuel; seeing new clubs grow and succeed. She loves when students approach her, bursting with a new idea. And she loves it even more when she helps them bring these ideas to life and see them succeed.
In general, she loves that this job allows her to meet new people every day. SGA also keeps her busy – no day is ever the same. What with planning for events such as Holiday Week, Back to the Boro, or the petitioning of a new club, there’s always something to keep her and the rest of the SGA busy – which amps up a great energy among the strong leaders, who are an honor to work with, says Christine.
As Vice President, the amount of tasks Christine has to juggle vary, but primarily deal with the SGA clubs. She is the point of contact for anyone interested in starting a new club on campus. To help students achieve these goals, Christine holds workshops on How to Start a Club, and meets with students who have ideas. She also manages all the clubs under SGA, keeping track of their service hours, progress throughout the semester, and their club contact information. To promote clubs, she holds a “Club of the Month” contest every month – an honor awarded to involved and successful clubs. Not only that, but she also has incentive programs like the Proflink Contest and March Madness Social Media contest to help organizations get their names out there and welcome new members. She also organizes two SGA organization fairs – one in the Spring and one in the Fall. These fairs typically take place in the first few weeks of classes in the Student Center pit. Clubs set up tables and promote themselves to students on campus. Finally, Christine also has a duty to the SGA to address student concerns, attend conferences, and host SGA sponsored events.
Considering how much she has going on, it is no surprise that a day in the life of Christine is extremely busy. Her typical Monday looks like this; 8am office hours, classes throughout the day, 5pm SGA Executive Board meeting, 7pm SGA Senate meeting, and finally 10pm homework time! But she likes to be busy, because that way she is never board and somehow always manages to have time for fun. We applaud your amazing time management and energy skills, Christine!
Other places of interest among the student body for Christine are in Rowan’s Pre-Health Club, serving as community service chair. She helps organize events for the Cathederal Soup Kitchen, Greenfields Assisted Living Facility, and helps students take care of displaced families in Gloucester County through the IHN program, that is ran by Family Promise. She also tutors in the tutoring center for core biology courses, and is a proud founding sister of the new sorority Sigma Delta Tau. Wow Christine, teach us your ways!
Christine can take all her experiences in this position and relate them to her field of study because the skills she has learned from SGA are varied; “I’ve learned leadership skills, how to listen to people, time management skills, how to speak in front of a large crowd, and ultimately gained confidence in myself! I am confident that these skills will only positively benefit me in my future.”
Finally, if Christine could change anything about the entire process and journey, it would be to slow it all down! She says “It was so easy to get wrapped up in the busy weeks, and not fully enjoy my triumphs throughout college. It always seems like when one problem is solved, there was another to fix, and I wish I had taken the time to truly enjoy my little victories! If I could do anything again it would be sure to take a few seconds out of every day to appreciate my time at Rowan and enjoy the little accomplishments of each day instead of worrying about the problems of the next!” Well Christine, time flies by – but you’re making your time truly astonishing.
Christine left off with some words of wisdom for the readers, saying “Never be afraid to get involved, try new things, and meet new friends! College goes fast. It’s not just something people say, it’s true. Join the ballroom dancing club even if you can’t dance, go to the RAH event even if all of your friends are busy! Each day you waste not loving college is a day you will never get back, so take a chance on yourself and truly make every moment that you have at Rowan count!”
Thank you for all that you do, Christine! Rowan is lucky to have our clubs and concerns in the safety of your hands. Keep working hard, you’re going places!