You must be living under a rock if you don’t know the name Todd Kirkland. If you haven’t heard of him then check your Brandeis e-mail on Monday mornings and you will know exactly who he is. Todd is involved in a laundry list of activities and groups on campus, but he is known for his position as secretary of the student union. Ever wonder if he writes the weekly jokes in his e-mails himself or what his favorite class that he has taken at Brandeis is? Read on!
HC: Many people know you are an Orientation Leader (I was fortunate enough to have you as my OL), but aside from that what else are you involved with on campus?
TK: This year I have majored in over commitment. I am a tour guide (Tuesdays at 3pm!), technology help desk manager, student union secretary, a UDR for computer science, information security analyst, teaching assistant for intro to programming, Waltham Group volunteer with SPECTRUM, and an inspiring entrepreneur (we hope to release our prototype by the end of the month!). In the past I used to be involved with an on campus psych lab (yeah ACC lab!), a few dance groups, and as an admissions host.
HC: What are some of your responsibilities as secretary of the student union?
TK: Oh man…responsibilities for this can be endless. I can now see why Herbie was up late sending announcements every week. But besides staying up late on Sunday to send out the weekly emails, I am in charge of supplying and operating both the Union office and romper room. I also run elections and we have made a lot of progress in making it easier for students to vote and there is more to come next semester. In terms of communications, I have implemented a structure that would be used internally as a reference guide for current and future unions. By the middle of next semester, I would like to see that filled with information. In terms of external communication, I have been making a new system that can be used to make communication to the student body very effective. This should be finished by the end of this semester (I won’t give away too many details right now!). I also help maintain my.brandeis.edu/clubs and answer emails multiple emails a day that are thrown my way.
HC: How do you come up with the jokes and how do you find the Youtube videos you feature in your weekly e-mails?
TK: For the jokes, I wish I could take the credit, but instead I just google search “funny one liners” and browse through a bunch of sites. For the videos, I use reddit (great site btw) and look through the videos section. I have also received help from our wonderful VP Gloria Park (props again for the Halloween video)! If anyone has a good video or joke they are always welcome to send them to me.
HC: What is your favorite class you have taken at Brandeis?
TK: Favorite class…that’s a tough one. I will have to go with my current independent study in Android development. It has allowed me to really explore material that I am interested in and it has helped my freelance career. I really like courses that have a more practical purpose, so I can physically show people what I have been working on and talk about it without boring them in seconds. People can check out my progress at tkirk.info!
HC: What is one thing readers don’t know about you?
TK: Huh, something people don’t know about me…well I use to work in a Pepperidge farm outlet store. I no longer work there, but it was definitely a valuable experience as my first real job. While we are talking about real world experience, I just snagged my first internship with a nearby software company and I am really excited to start working for them this winter and next semester.