Jessie Dickens Fast Facts:
Year – Junior
Major – Double major in Economics and Finance
Hometown – Orlando!
Involvement at UCF – Literally everything.
If an aggressive individual ever challenges you to an Involvement Duel, where you both shout at each other all of the clubs and organizations you’re involved in on campus until you either run out of clubs or pass out, you better hope your challenger isn’t Jessie Dickens.
Jessie got involved right away when he got to UCF, joining the Senate Leadership Council as a freshman. As a member of the Burnett Honors College, Jessie also participated in two HERO (Honors Educational Reach Out) Programs, one as a mentor for a freshman at Evan’s High School, and the other as a Green HERO volunteer at Pelican’s Island Wildlife Preserve. That spring, he went on the Alternate Spring Break program with the Honors College. As a LEAD Scholar, he also served on the LEAD scholars committee in addition to fulfilling the normal program requirements.
And that was just freshman year.
Since then, Jessie has continued to have a wildly productive and enriching experience on campus, getting involved in multiple organizations that genuinely have an impact on student life here at UCF. The summer after freshman year, Jessie went through the highly competitive O-Teamer application process, and was selected to be one of thirty-two students to work all summer as a mentor and guide for incoming freshman.
After that summer as an O-Teamer, Jessie was selected to be one of three Student Orientation Coordinators, and basically run the whole show for next summer. “That school year was one of the most stressful times of my life,” he laughed. As an SOC, Jessie oversaw the O-Teamer application process, organized the Orientation schedule and programs, and stepped in to run an information session in case an organization’s speaker didn’t show up. “My favorite was when the Marching Knights spokesperson couldn’t make it, so I had to learn the UCF fight song real quick and then teach it to all the freshman,” said Jessie.
Spring of his sophomore year, while also planning Orientation for the upcoming summer, Jessie became a Resident Assistant (RA) in the Libra Community. The RA job description is lengthy enough as is, but Jessie still finds a way to go above and beyond to better help his residents in their transition to college. “I go to my residents’ rooms just to kill bugs for them,” he revealed.
After a hectic but rewarding summer as a Student Orientation Coordinator, Jessie continues to leave his mark on the UCF community. In addition to continuing to serve as an RA in Libra, he is a tutor for Academic Services for Student Athletes, an SLS 1501 Peer Mentor, the finance director of the Knight Thon Leadership Team, an Admission Ambassador, and – most recently – a member of the 2016 Homecoming Court.
At first glance, Jessie may seem like the typical super-involved UCF student who devotes all his time to extracurricular activities on campus. But in reality, he’s also an accomplished athlete and shoe salesman with a major sweet tooth.
Jessie played hockey for 10 years when he was younger. Growing up in a family of runners, he also enjoys long distance running, and last January he ran the full Disney marathon without training at all. However, all these athletic laurels don’t come without consequences – Jessie has broken his tail bone, collar bone, several toes, and his thumb. (While many of these injuries were sports related, one broken toe came from a particularly competitive game of hide-and-seek.)
And just when you think he doesn’t have any more surprises, you look in Jessie’s closet: Jessie is a salesperson at Vans, where he thoroughly enjoys his employee’s discount, and owns over 50 pairs of shoes. Previously, Jessie worked at Godiva, a position that was quite compatible with his self-confessed sweet tooth. (Ever need to get on Jessie’s good side? Bring him Sweet Tarts.)
Telling the world about Jessie Dickens is a much harder task than it first seems. To me, Jessie is a dedicated fellow RA who’s always willing to help out. To the class of 2019, he is an upbeat, welcoming O-Teamer who navigated freshmen through Orientation all summer. To the class of 2020, he is the Orientation Coordinator who made sure the whole process ran smoothly. Whether you know Jessie as your RA, your SLS Peer Mentor, the Orientation leader who taught you the UCF Fight Song, or the guy longboarding around campus in a black and gold Homecoming Court sash, give him a high-five the next time you see him. He certainly deserves some thanks for making UCF a better place in a thousand ways.