As many have heard while attending college, take the opportunity to learn about the field one wishes to enter, whether it is getting an internship, part-time job or obtaining a leadership role. Doing so helps a student understand what to expect before plunging into a certain field.
Luckily for one student, she is able to take the many roles she holds as a learning experience to help her understand the role of an event planner better.
Jessica Kramer, senior public relations major, is an outgoing student whose goal in life is to become an event planner, mainly planning events for fundraisers.
"I do want to go into fundraising event planning, I've realized, because I feel as if there is a purpose to it. Not that there isn't a purpose for a wedding planner, it's just there's a purpose and a reason that you're planning something," she comments.
Kramer has several roles on campus. One of them is being the senior leadership specialist for the Leadership Institute housed within the Center for Leadership and Service (CLS). There, Kramer helps "facilitate the Gold Leadership Program, bookings and forming ideas to help enhance the Leadership Program as a whole."
"I think that CLS as a whole helped me hone into my skills," Kramer comments. Having a role as a leadership specialist has helped her because of the experience she has gained from planning several of the events the Leadership Institute holds. As a leadership specialist, she has helped with planning the yearly Bronze Leadership retreat during the summer by coming up with activities.
The Leadership Institute is a four-year certification program that helps students with gaining leadership and involvement skills. There are five different leadership programs -- Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and L.E.A.D. -- and Kramer is currently in the Platinum Program.
Kramer is also a part of Greek Life, as a member of the sorority Delta Phi Epsilon.
"I am the Vice President of Programming of Delta Phi Epsilon," she comments. That position requires her "to work with the fundraising team and I work with the philanthropies that [Delta Phi Epsilon] has." Its philanthropies are anorexia nervous and associated disorders and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
With the position Kramer holds in Delta Phi Epsilon, it has helped her with her career path. She explains her position in the sorority is to plan events throughout the year. Because of this, she has received plenty of experience.
Kramer is also a Resident Assistant [RA] for the seventh floor of the New Freshman Residence Hall Building [NFRH]. As an RA, she has many duties, which include room inspections and taking care of roommate conflicts.
"I really enjoy and love being an RA," comments Kramer.
As someone who is very involved on campus, Kramer loves the work she has to do for every leadership role she holds. She comments that "each one has something that the other doesn't so it keeps me on my toes all the time."
For example, her role in the Leadership Institute allows her to work alongside her peers, and her role in Delta Phi Epsilon allows her to plan many events like Deepher Dude -- a male pageant show that helps raise money and awareness for cystic fibrosis.
"I got to plan Deepher Dude. Like who gets to plan a male pageant?" Kramer comments.
During the summer, Kramer did a social media internship with a wedding planner. While there, she learned a lot about social media and how to use the social media management platform Hootsuit.
"It definitely got me to do a different aspect of PR because I wasn’t great with social media beforehand and now I know how to use [Hootsuit]. I definitely learned a lot of valuable things from [this internship]," Kramer comments.
As a very active student on campus, Kramer comments that having many roles on campus has helped her find herself. Being a part of many organizations helped her with finding what she wants to do in life, and what she wants to be.
"Getting involved on campus is really important. College in general is what you make of it," Kramer comments. "So if you wanna go to class and go home there's nothing wrong with that...do what you do. But if you want to get involved and you want to do something, join clubs, join a Greek organization, get a job on campus and make a name for yourself because you don't realize sometimes how important you are until you are put into an important decision."
Being involved on campus has its benefits to it, as Kramer has proved.
