Chris McPherson is probably the most involved student at Oswego State. When adults told him to try as much as possible, he took their words of advice seriously.
This junior journalism major was born and raised in Brooklyn by his parents, both from Jamaica. When it came time to apply for college, he looked into all of the SUNY schools, but found that Oswego was the best fit for him.
“Oswego always caught my eye,” he says. “So when I got accepted, I knew I wanted to go here.”
McPherson chose journalism because he has always been interested in writing. Creative writing was his forte in high school, but he wanted to try something new at college.
“I wanted to delve into a different style of writing. I figured journalism would be perfect,” he says.
This isn’t the only thing McPherson wanted to try when he enrolled. He immediately got involved with numerous clubs and organizations, and has continued to be involved through his three years here.
Here’s a list of the activities Chris has been involved in:
- Funnelle Desk Attendant
- Summer Seneca Recycling Technician
- Secretary of the SUNY Oswego Gospel Choir
- Vice President of the SUNY Oswego Gospel Choir
- Lifestyles Center Peer Educator
- Lifestyles Center Intern
- Funnelle Welcome Crew Co-Coordinator
- Hart Hall Computer Lab Assistant
- Oswegonian Newspaper – Staff Writer
Now here’s what Chris does right now, and what he will do next year:
- Photography Intern – Sports Information
- President of the SUNY Oswego Gospel Choir
- Member of Lambda Pi Eta Honor Society
- Student Assistant – Penfield Library
- Studenthealth101.com Campus Correspondent
- Resident Assistant – Riggs Hall
- SUNY Oswego Student Blogger
“And I attend weekly meetings for the Black Student Union, African Student Organization, Latino Student Union, Caribbean Student Association and Two and Half (Sexual Assault Awareness organization),” McPherson adds.
How does he manage to do all of this? McPherson says his secret is prioritizing.
“I always make a schedule and make sure I stick to it. I’m usually going from place to place to place.”
With all of this going on, Chris says he sometimes struggles with making time for his friends.
“The only downside is sometimes I am unreliable when it comes to hanging out with friends,” he says. “I put my responsibilities at a higher priority than my social life. But I always make it work, and my friends usually understand.”
In the future, McPherson says he would like to attend grad school, but is unsure of what to study.
“Maybe counseling and pysch services because I loved working with the Lifestyles Center,” he says. “But my dream job would be to work at E! News or even MTV.”
McPherson clearly will have no problem doing anything he wants after college – his involvement will definitely be an asset.