Name: Lauren
Age: 20
Hometown: Jericho, New York
Major: Communication Studies and Gender and Sexuality Studies
What are you involved in on campus?
I’m the Director of Partnerships and Special Projects for Spoon at Northwestern, the NUDM Sub-Committee Head for Northwestern University Dance Marathon, the Public Relations Chairman for Kappa Kappa Gamma, and a Northwestern Campus Tour Guide. Off campus, I work the Front Desk at SoulCycle North Shore, and I’m a Campus Manager for an awesome apparel printing company called Fresh Prints.
What is your specific role on Spoon like?
I handle outreach to local and national businesses for collaborations, and the planning of all large-scale events. I created and executed the annual SpoonFest that took place on Deering Meadow last year, and right now I’m working on planning the Sugar and Spice Summit that will happen on April 1. The Summit will bring a ton of influential women in the culinary industry to network with Northwestern undergraduate women, and will also provide opportunities for local female-owned food and drink brands to connect with the Northwestern community.
What is your favorite thing about being a part of Spoon?
I think it’s so cool to be connected to a larger national company while I’m an undergrad. I’ve had the opportunity to work on national content partnerships with companies like Wild Ophelia and GrubHub, and I’m constantly stopping by the HQ offices in NYC when I’m home from school on breaks. The majority of the full-time team at HQ is Northwestern alumni, so they get really excited about diving into projects for our chapter.
What is your favorite thing to talk about on tours?
I love to talk about Northwestern’s undergraduate grant programs! I was a recipient of the Summer Internship Grant Program the summer after my freshman year, which awarded me $3,000 to participate in an unpaid internship. I’m passionate about the startup industry, so a lot of the internships I’m interested in are unpaid – this grant let me pursue an opportunity that would definitely have been more difficult if Northwestern wasn’t funding it. Northwestern offers grants for literally any kind of research you can think of as an undergrad, and that’s so underrated. I feel like the grants are hidden gems that have the potential to open doors for so many Northwestern students.
What is a fun fact nobody knows about you?
I rock climbed competitively in high school! I’m also obsessed with Frida Kahlo and I can probably eat a whole watermelon in one sitting.