Student leaders an essential thread in the fabric of a strong school community. Northern Vermont University – Lyndon is holding a Student Leadership Fair on Tuesday, March 2, to keep that thread strong going forward.
The fair will take place in the Alexander Twilight Theater lobby from 11:00am-2:00pm and can also be attended remotely via Zoom. A few departments on campus will be represented, offering leadership positions to NVU-Lyndon students. The event will have information tables for:
-Peer Leader
-Public Safety
-Residential Assistant (RA)
-Student Ambassador
-Campus Activities Executive Board (CAB)
-Student Government Executive Board (SGA)
“It’s a great chance for students to learn about leadership opportunities,” says Assistant Director of Student Life Mike Secreti, adding that “they all offer students opportunities to expand their horizons.”
The school believes it’s important that students are the ones in these leadership roles. Erin Rossetti, Director of Student Life at NVU-Lyndon, believes student leadership is an “essential part” of the campus experience. She feels that students may feel a “higher comfort level” going to a peer for help. Students currently in leadership roles agree. RA Stephen Sandor says it’s “less threatening” for a student to go to another student as a resource and sees connecting with his peers as a major aspect of his job as an RA.
School officials and students have expressed that having student leaders as a resource has a positive impact on campus. John Habershaw is a Peer Leader, whose role is to help first-year students navigate life on campus. He owes much of his success to his Peer Leader from when he started at NVU. “She helped me get adjusted and broke me out of my shell,” says John. He credits the influence of his peer leader for his confidence in taking on a leadership role himself.
Admissions Ambassador Bobby Saba says this is partly because “students have a better sense of reality” when it comes to life on campus. He believes the NVU faculty are great resources but someone who’s been through the experience more recently has “an extra sense of realism” when talking to incoming students. Talking to faculty can be “intimidating” for some of the younger students he interacts with through admissions and he believes he is able to bridge that gap and improve the school’s communication with incoming freshmen.
While these positions can benefit the community, students in these roles have benefited individually from their leadership experience. SGA President Gill Macdonald says that the added responsibility has helped her stay focused and more organized. She’s created connections, is developing a “great relationship” with Dean of Students Jonathan Davis, and has talked to NVU President Elaine Collins, something she says she wouldn’t have done without being SGA President. Many student leaders see their fellow leaders as a community, and one that makes their college experience more enjoyable.
Rossetti says the school isn’t looking for specific skills in these leaders, but she is looking for students who “have a desire to help their peers, and a desire to be on a team.” She says that each position has training and believes that students can learn important leadership skills that will help them beyond their time at NVU. Rossetti sees the event as a “safe opportunity” to check out leadership positions the school has to offer.
When asked what she would say to someone on the fence about taking on a leadership role, she encouraged everyone to attend and that connecting with other students involved in campus leadership is the best way to find out if a position is the right fit for you.
Feature Photo by Sabra Anne Snyder || 2019-2020 Peer Leaders Trevor Utton (left) and Alexandra Huff (right) man the First-Year Experience table at the 2020 Leadership Fair.