Leadership
Whether in the classroom, through professional endeavors, or with my extracurriculars, I have been so lucky to be given enriching interpersonal opportunities to work with people as a leader and a mentor, which is my greatest passion. I have gained skills in Motivational Interviewing and cultural awareness to best support the needs of those I work with in a compassionate and collaborative manner.
01
Peer Academic Advising
Beginning in my sophomore year, I have had the privilege of working with Crossing College Advising Services as a Peer Academic Advisor. In this position, I worked with mainly undecided undergraduate students to explore classes and programs, build schedules, and come up with four year plans. This position also led me to become a SOAR Peer Advisor over the summer, where I advised incoming first year students as they decided their fall schedule and explored the various majors offered within our many colleges at UW. I worked with CCAS for two years and made great connections with the many students I advised as well as my bosses and coworkers who always supported my professional development.
02
Teaching Practicum Student
Counseling Psychology 605: Clinical Communication Skills has been one of my most influential classes to date, as I learned valuable interpersonal and cultural awareness skills as well as the power of Motivational Interviewing. I was honored to be asked by my TA at the end of the fall semester my junior year to take on the role of Teaching Practicum Student in the spring. As a TP Student, I worked closely with Dr. Corissa Lotta, who created the course, as well as my fellow TP Students Suzie Dargle, Lilah Dottori, and Maddy Glockle in creating beneficial practice material and curriculum for the 100+ students in the class. I attended the lecture every week and came up with activities relevant to each lesson’s content to allow students to workshop their skills with me in the weekly practice sessions I hosted. I also was able to come up with extra credit activities for students, one of which I utilized my Communication Arts degree in designing; I asked students to pick a form of media where Motivational Interviewing was used or could be improved to encourage them to constantly be watching for communication techniques in everyday life. It was also my responsibility to grade such assignments as well as the reflections that followed my sessions. My fellow TP Students and I hosted numerous study sessions to offer support to students for big assignments or tricky concepts within the curriculum. The work for this position averaged out to about 6 hours of planning and leading each week for the duration of the semester. It was an honor to work alongside such an accredited and brilliant figure as Dr. Lotta, who was not only my professor but also an incredibly valuable supporter of my professional development.
03
Director of Communication + CFLi Liaison for The Crossing
From June 2022 to January 2024, I was the Director of Communication and CFLi Liaison for The Crossing, an LGBTQ+ affirming student ministry. With the direction of Pastor Karla Schmidt, I was designated responsibilities for much of the behind-the-scenes work for the organization. I was the primary contact with UW Madison, so it was my job to register our organization, pay dues, reserve tables at Student Organization Fair events, write the all-campus emails, and revise and submit our organization’s constitution. I was also in charge of creating content for and running The Crossing’s Instagram page to keep followers updated on upcoming events and programming. With Canva, I made numerous posts and flyers that are still used as templates for their social media use today. Beyond my behind-the-scenes work, I attended events with the primary goal of welcoming new students and visitors to ensure their comfort and acceptance in the space. I am incredibly grateful for the administrative skills I gained, which unlocked my interest in the interworkings of organizations I wouldn’t have known about otherwise but had such fun partaking in!
04
Disability Rights + Services
Since the very beginning of my college career, I have been pursuing a minor in Disability Rights & Services, one of my greatest passions as a disabled person myself. One of my favorite parts of the program is the integrated Community-Based Learning requirements, which have allowed me to work with the disabled community in Madison. I have taken classes ranging from Positive Psychology & Wellbeing to Behavioral Analysis: Applications to Persons with Disabilities. One of my fondest experiences within the program was my volunteer work with Gio’s Garden, which is a child respite care center not far from campus during the spring of my sophomore year. At Gio’s, I was partnered with one child for three-hour sessions to offer parents time to run errands or have downtime without worrying about their child not getting specialized care in their absence. I primarily worked with children with autism as well as one little boy with vocal cord paralysis. I was able to learn more about nurturing the interests of these children while also meeting their physical and mental needs concurrently. This semester, I am working with a 14-month-old girl with delayed speech once a week for 2 hours each session, and through my education in behavioral analysis, I have been working on implementing appropriate intervention strategies to support her growth in verbal communication. Not only do I feel empowered supporting my community with these volunteer leadership positions, but such opportunities have also fueled my love for working with children, which I have been lucky enough to do for almost 10 years.
04
Optima Dance Choreographer
As a dancer of many years, I decided to continue my passion in college by joining Optima Dance Club in the spring semester of my freshman year. In this club, I have done 3-4 heels, hip hop, contemporary/lyrical and modern routines each semester. I have had so much fun and felt such a great sense of community that I decided to take my involvement one step further by becoming a choreographer myself! In my sophomore year, I choreographed a heels routine to "Maneater" with 15 other dancers, my junior year I created a heels routine to "Call Me Mother" with 9 other dancers, and this year I am co-choreographing a modern piece to "United In Grief" with my friend Elsa Gazzo-Briquet and 12 other dancers. My role as choreographer involved picking and cutting music, choreographing various parts and groups in dozens of formations, and then the most gratifying part, teaching my dancers and watching them bring my vision to life. After 12-14 weeks of planning and practice, we perform our routines for friends, family, and the general UW Madison public. Not only has this been an empowering creative outlet, it has also been incredibly gratifying getting to see my dancers perform as their truest selves and receive praise and affirmation from our peers in doing so. This spring will be my last semester in Optima, and as a choreographer, so here’s hoping I can come up with my greatest work yet!