By Emily Monaco Editorial Staff What is your academic and professional background? I'm an alum from Framingham State. I got both my undergrad and grad degrees here. I did the 4+1 program. I majored in English and minored in Communication Arts. I worked in this office [Student Experience and Career Development] as a graduate assistant while I was doing the 4+1 program and then they had a position open called operations manager. I thought, "I'm going to eventually need a full-time job," so I applied. I think it definitely helped that I had already worked in the office and was already familiar with the University. So I got that job and started in April of my grad year. After a year or so, that started to change shape into student experience manager because we realized we need more resources available for student organizations and that is how my previous role turned into my current role. What brought you back to FSU? I had a really great time here in college. I made a lot of good friends, and I'm still friends with some of those people today. It seemed like a pretty easy option as I was already working here, and then they had the opening for operations manager. From there, it was an easy process. I was familiar with the commute here, so it seemed like an easy and more obvious next step. I love the community here to begin with anyway. The professors were great as well. It was definitely an easy choice to come back and work here again. What is your role in EXP? As operations manager, I was more internal. I did more administrative work. But in my current role as Student Experience Manager, I have become more external in regards to working more with students and student organizations. Nowadays, I have a lot of meetings with organizations. Gina and I are both what we call “resource people.” We each have our own lists of clubs, which means we're the first person that we recommend those clubs reach out to when they have questions or concerns about events, finance, or anything club related. I'm a resource person for a lot of clubs - I'm also an advisor for The Hilltop Players. I meet with those interested in starting clubs and reactivating clubs as well. It's a lot of meeting with student organizations, helping them and supporting them with their events and any questions or concerns they might have. Also, doing training for them and working with their officers to make sure they are meeting the requirements set by the University and our office in order to be recognized as an official club. What do you like best about working with students? Getting to know the students - it's really fun. I meet with students who are interested in starting new organizations. A lot of them are really passionate about it. They're like, “I needed this to start yesterday.” It's really cool to be able to get to know the students. Being in this position and having gone here as a student, I knew a lot of people of course, but now since I have graduated, newer people have entered the school, and I don't know as many students as I used to. It feels really good to be involved with students and it helps that I am 24, so I can still relate to them. Knowing that they appreciate that help and seeing it first hand when I have students come in to meet with me and I answer any questions for them and they thank me for the information. It's great to be that support and see it directly influence students. What are your hobbies? I like to paint, and I play a lot of video games. Pokémon is huge. I actually have a book club that I have with my college friends who are also FSU alums. We read a book and meet every other month. The months where we don't do that we play Dungeons and Dragons. That's a hobby that is big in my life right now. What advice would you give to students? I'd say as someone who was specifically a student and works here professionally, being open-minded and trying new things for sure. When I was a student here, I joined Hilltop and I did theater in high school, but it was something that was still new to me, so I was nervous to join a club here. It makes a world of difference to join something. It gives you something else to do that's not just academic. It's a great way to meet new people who have similar interests. I can't express enough, especially now on this side of things, helping people start clubs and be in clubs is a big thing I highly recommend students do, because it makes so much of a difference. When I applied for the operations manager position, I didn't think I was going to get it, only because I hadn't worked full time before. I didn't exactly meet all the requirements they had, but I applied anyway and I ended up getting the job. Trying new things seems scary, of course, but change is good and it helps to push yourself to try new things.