Adriana Ocon, a sophomore, is one of the most gorgeous girls I know. Just looking at her, you might assume that she is one of those people who gets by on their looks, but Adriana most certainly does not. She’s positive, friendly, intelligent, and extremely involved on-campus. I’m lucky enough to have gotten to know her through living on her hall and being in her pledge class, but I was interested in getting to know more, especially because she’s been talking about Angel Tree like it’s her job! Read more to find out all about this amazing girl and what she does to make Vanderbilt a better place!
1) How did you get involved in Angel Tree/what is your actual position?
I got involved in Angel Tree last year when the event was handled by VSG’s community service committee as opposed to being its own committee like it is this year. I applied for the committee and was chosen for it. This year I am the co-chair for Angel Tree along with Sherry Chen. Sherry is the VSG representative for Angel Tree and she chose me to be the student representative co-chair. We have 13 more people on the committee, without whom this all would be impossible!
2) What do you love the most about Angel Tree?
Angel Tree is literally the epitome of Christmas joy. So many Vanderbilt students donate their time and money to this cause to ensure that these 400 kindergarten students can have a dream Christmas and it’s just amazing how much people give and how the excitement goes both ways between the Vanderbilt students and the kindergarten students.
3) What have you had to do as part of your job for Angel Tree?
As I said before, we have 13 committee members who each make up a subcommittee, and I handle the party and decorations committee. So mostly I do logistics for the actual Angel Tree party, making sure the Santas are there for the kids to take pictures with, recruiting entertainment (the Melodores AND concert choir are participating this year!) as well as helping Sherry type wish lists and send them out to Vanderbilt students.
4) Were you involved in VSG freshman year? If so, in what position?
Yes, I was in the CPC (Commons Programming Council) where we planned events with the goal of making the Commons a fun and academic place as well as integrating the first years with the other half of campus and with Nashville as a whole. I was also a part of the community service committee for VSG which planned Angel Tree last year.
5) What else are you involved in currently?
I am very involved in my sorority, Kappa Delta, where I was the Girl Scout chair (one of our philanthropies) and am now the community service chair. I volunteer at the Susan Gray School as well as in a research lab, I was a student VUceptor this semester, and I am on the club tennis team.
6) Do you have an idea of what you want to do when you graduate?
I hope to get into medical school and become a doctor!
7) How has being involved in VSG helped you in other areas of Vanderbilt life?
Being in VSG has really helped me develop my leadership skills as well as meet a lot of great people that I have not only formed great friendships with but also been inspired by through their drive and hard work.