Raychel Payne: Center for Student Activities Weeks 4 & 5

Activities:

• College Ready Prep
• College Ready Move-In
• College Ready Ice Breaker Program
• College Ready Opening Banquet
• Lyceum Series Season Ticket Sales
• Art Gallery Set Up

Experience:

This week was very busy in the Center for Student Activities. On top of all of the projects going on, there were also a few professional staff members out of the office for the week. This meant that I was in charge of finalizing the last minute details for the college ready events and be the main point of contact with the college ready staff. This opportunity not only gave me a lot of autonomy but also the confidence that I was a trusted and capable part of the CSA staff. With only a few minor hiccups the first few events of college ready went by successfully. It was great working with the College Ready staff and spending the time with several of the incoming freshman participating in the program. 

I also felt very empowered this week by Lyceum Series season ticket sales. A few weeks ago I helped create the how-to guides for processing the ticket orders online through a site called Ticket Biscuit. Working in the morning also gave me the opportunity to get very confident in taking ticket orders. The next few days were very busy to ticket sales and I helped many of my co-workers learn how to take orders. By the end of the week I was known as the "Ticket Biscuit Expert". I was great to be the expert on something in the office even though I was the newest addition to the team. I felt very supported this week and know that I am a well valuable team member in the office. 

Another part of the Center for Student Activities is the Art Gallery on the second floor of the union. This week I assisted Amelia, my supervisor, in setting up the new exhibit for the next month. The gallery will being displaying art work created by the students that participated in camps at Mississippi State University this past summer. Some of the pieces include a large mural, chairs made completely of cardboard and lego structures. 

This weeks reading correlated well with my tasks this week. Chapter 6 talks a great deal about networking and making connections with other student affairs professionals. This practice ended up helping me out tremendously when getting College Ready details finalized. There were a few challenges that popped up on the day of the opening events but because of the connections the office and myself had built, we were able to fix the issues before any of the staff and participants were able to notice. Networking will also be a crucial part of my job search this year and I continue to understand how important the connections I am making now with my supervisors and peers will be in my future.