For this week’s Profile, we wanted to get to know more about one of the newest additions to OSAMP, Kelli Connors! As the Assistant Director of Student Involvement & Leadership Development at Emmanuel, Kelli’s is a face many students will become familiar with as the semester goes on. We asked Kelli all about her life before Emmannuel and what we should get excited for from the Office of Student Activities this fall. Check out our interview below!
Her Campus at Emmanuel: Hi Kelli! Thank you so much for being our Profile subject this week. To start us off, tell me a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? Where did you get your education? Etc.
Kelli Connors: Hi Sammy, so happy to be profiled by yall! I am originally from Quincy, MA, just south of Boston. I received my Bachelor of Arts in History and my Masters degree in the Administration of Higher Education from Suffolk University, over on Beacon Hill. I am a total book nerd– Jane Austen is my absolute favorite author, and I keep a list of 200+ books “to read” on my phone. In my spare time, I [like to] hang with my family, hit the beach as much as I can (even in the winter!) and am an avid Patriots fan. I play in two fantasy football teams and spend all day Sunday with the NFL Network! I also have two cats, Rex and Dexter, and am actively working to abolish the stereotype of a “crazy cat lady.”
HCE: What is your go-to fun fact about yourself?
KC: This is a weird/lame answer but I have never broken a bone– *knock on wood*! My other fact is that I am a singer and trained as an opera soprano for one year in high school. I’ve been paid to sing at weddings, so I guess you could call me Adam Sandler. Google “The Wedding Singer” if you don’t follow that reference.
HCE: What led you to your current position at Emmanuel?
KC: I finished graduate school in January of last year, and had been working at Suffolk in first year programs and orientation for about 5 years. I was ready to take on a new challenge, and have always loved working with student leaders, so Emmanuel seemed like the right fit for me. I identify very closely with the mission of the school, and immediately felt comfortable with campus on my first visit. It is becoming home very quickly!
HCE: Can you tell us more about what you do in your current position?
KC: Sometimes it feels like my job is to just hang out with students and blow up balloons– which is fabulous– but there is a lot more to what I do. I coordinate large-scale programs like the Involvement Fair, advise student organizations, work closely with the SGA on club and organization training and management, manage our social media presence, and oversee two major leadership programs: EC Leadership Academy and Omicron Delta Kappa (a national honors society for leadership). We also work as a larger OSAMP team, and I love that I get the chance to support my colleagues’ initiatives on campus in any way that I can!
Kelli running the Falmouth Road Race last summer
HCE: What has been your favorite and least favorite part of the job so far?
KC: [My] least favorite would be traffic. My commute sometimes gets tough, but I am very happy to be able to drive and avoid MBTA drama in my daily life. I also think that transition is hard and always brings with it new challenges and moments of fear and apprehension. I sometimes feel like I have no idea what I am doing, even though I know I have got it all together! [My] favorite [part is] the students and colleagues I get to work with and being a part of the Colleges of the Fenway team who put together the Block Party on our quad. We had over 2,000 students on campus that day!
HCE: What are you most excited for this year from OSAMP?
KC: Honestly, I feel like I am excited to experience all of the traditions and programs that are so beloved here on campus, like Screen on the Green, Family Weekend and Alternative Spring Break. I am also excited for Christmas, I have never worked at a Catholic school that celebrated it!
HCE: What should the Emmanuel Community be most excited for this year from OSAMP?
KC: We are making a lot of changes and improvements so that we can be more accessible and reach a larger audience of students. We are launching a brand new program called EC Adventures, which are weekend trips to Boston attractions like Lawn on D, CollegeFest and the SOWA Market. It [will be] a great chance for students to get off campus and see what the city has to offer!
HCE: Any words of advice for students at EC as we begin the semester?
KC: Be open to trying new things, and go to at least one event by yourself, especially if it is something you are passionate about, because it will force you to step out of your bubble and meet new people. And I would be a bad student activities staff member if I didn’t remind you all to get involved!
Thanks again for chatting with us, Kelli! Good luck with your first full semester at Emmanuel!