Meggie Burns ’16 is a name that conjurs smiles here at SMC. If you know her (and a lot of people do), good luck getting someone to have something negative to say! She is the president of SMC’s Love Your Melon chapter, and an active personality here on campus. We were lucky enough to get to speak with Meggie and hear some of the wisdom she has to pass down to us here at Saint Mike’s.
HerCampus: You obviously are heavily involved with Love Your Melon. So, for those who don’t know, what exactly is it?
Meggie Burns: Love Your Melon is a one for one organization that began with two friends brainstorming in a college business course. For every hat that gets sold on the Love Your Melon website, a hat gets donated to a child battling cancer. With that said, this program has expanded to over 200 colleges and universities nation wide and won’t stop there. Currently, 25% of all profits made go to CureSearch (a children’s cancer research foundation) and 25% of profits go to The Pinky Swear Foundation (a foundation that helps families in debt due to their children’s medical costs). As a member of this organization, we get the opportunity to dress up as superheroes and visit local homes and hospitals to hand deliver hats and spread some love! Overall, it is one incredible organization.
HC: How much has Love Your Melon influenced what you wan to do after college, if at all?
MB: This is a great question. Being a leader on the SMC LYM team has made me think a lot about future careers. I am a sociology major and have always worked with kids, so being a part of this has only confirmed that. I know I want to help kids in any way that I can and Love Your Melon has been a great outlet in doing so.
HC: What has been your most memorable experience here at Saint Mike’s?
MB: As far as SMC goes, this place rocks. I have had a ton of great memories here, but if I were to pick just one it would have to be being a part of POW (pre orientation weekend) this past summer. It was a way to connect with old friends and make so many real connections with the incoming class. I highly recommend going on POW if you get the chance, St. Anne’s Shrine is a magical place.
HC: Favorite class and/or professor?
MB: My favorite class was my capstone course for sociology. This course pushed my limits in every way possible-good and bad. Any preconceived notions I had about graduating and society in general were questioned and I loved every second of it. As far as a professor goes, that is honestly too hard of question for me. I haven’t had one bad professor here, truly.
HC: Any pieces of advice for Freshman?
MB: All I can say to first years is live. it. up. There is no other time in your life where you can be as risky, experimental, flawed, and down right wild and have it be socially acceptable. I say this with caution however, from a senior looking at her past. I learned more about life in my first year of college than I ever had before. There were challenges, successes, tears and triumphs and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
HC: What would you tell people thinking about attending SMC?
MB: To anyone thinking about coming to SMC, DO IT. This place changed my life. I can’t say I’d be a different person if I didn’t come here, but I can say one thing with certainty: this place is a breeding ground for good people. It builds character and makes me want to be a better person everyday.
HC: Pick three words to describe yourself.
MB: Outgoing, hardworking, and friendly.
HC: What is one goal for the future that you are working toward?
MB: Right about now I have a lot of future goals, but if I could narrow it down to just one it would be to find a career that is fulfilling. I would love to have a career where I can better my community, solve a problem within society, and better myself at the same time. This is a huge undertaking I know, but it’s a goal!