This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at LUC chapter.
(Maggie is pictured on the left)
Maggie Gracia is a friend of mine. But she’s not just a friend of mine, she’s a friend to everybody. I chose interview Maggie for Campus Celebrity this week because she’s seriously wonder woman! She works three jobs, gets stressed out (like the rest of us!), but never fails to put her friends first. Check out what Maggie’s been doing around campus lately:
1) Tell me a little bit about what you do here on campus.
I started getting involved my freshman year by participating in the Leadership for Social Change Learning Community. During the end of the fall semester I became a Student Diversity Leader in the Undergraduate Admissions Office, which is something I super involved with still. I became an Orientation Leader last summer (which I have been blessed with the opportunity to do this summer too!). I also became a Peer Advisor for the office of First and Second Year Advising. Finally, I became a member of the Information Services Team in the Damen Student Center.
Most recently, I have been working with one of my best friends to start a new First Generation student organization for the beginning of next fall.
2) How did you decide to get involved in these things (or, why do you do them?)
All of the things I am involved in have to do with my interest in helping students. Whether it’s through mentoring or through giving directions to a building, I enjoy helping others.
I have also recently gain a high interest in going to grad school and going into School Guidance or Higher Ed in the hopes to continue to work with students in a similar way of what I am doing now.
3) How has your involvement on campus changed you as a person?
I have come to learn that there is so much more to gain when helping others than simply doing things to only benefit yourself. I’ve come to realize that although we may not see it immediately, helping others will help oneself later on in life. For example, being involved with all of my activities helped me decided to change my major and choose the career path I now want to go into. But I didn’t realize all these things would affect me in such a way until long after.
4) Who/what inspires you to do what you do?
As cheesy as it may sound, my family inspires me on a daily basis. I am constantly striving to make my parents proud while being a good role model for my sisters. I have also come to realize that my family members were the first people to teach me what the true meaning of generosity and compassion was. I believe that is the reason why I am so passionate about helping others as much as I can.
5) What do you hope to accomplish through you jobs/campus activities?
I hope to make a positive impact on someone’s day; whether it’d be helping students by making class registration a little easier or by helping a guest find their destination.
6) What is your ultimate goal?
I think I have more than just one goal haha. The main one is to be happy and to make my family proud. Along with that, I want to find a career that I don’t think of as a job. I also want to be able to help students achieve their college dreams and some day start a scholarship fund for First Generation students.