Charlotte Aaron ‘18 has all the bases covered. As a prospective Business major and Journalism and Legal Studies minor, avid tennis player, Hoot Editor-in-Chief, and part time employee at the Department of Education, Aaron runs a tight schedule. This past summer, she added Brandeis Orientation Core Committee member to the list, a daunting endeavour that changed her entire college experience.
Aaron was inspired by her experience at first-year orientation and wanted to create the same atmosphere for others that made her love her first year so much. “I had an amazing freshman orientation. I applied to be an OL sophomore year and loved it. I thought it would be really cool to be the one planning the orientation so I could make other freshmen have the same experience,” she says.
Was planning orientation for the entire summer before the freshman class arrived a struggle? Yes, says Aaron enthusiastically. “It was so much work. May 30, I called my brother and told him I didn’t know what we were going to do all summer. Jokes! It took forever to plan! There are so many little details you don’t consider. All the way down to the posters you’re going to use, who’s arranging the music, what color tablecloths. So many tablecloths! Near the end of summer, we would work from 6 to 12.”
Charlotte was only one part of the Core after all; there were three other members working to create the amazing orientation. “The best part of orientation was getting to know Philip (Cooper ‘18), Deena (Fisch ‘18) and Maggie (Ziegel ‘18). There would be times when we would approach things differently, but we were always able to come to an agreement.”
Being on Core taught Charlotte more than she could have ever thought. “I learned so much: basic skills, organization skills, leadership skills. Picking up the phone and answering questions is actually really hard! I learned how to work with vendors and sign contracts. This woman I hired, Lynn the magician, wanted apple juice and her own dressing room!” says Aaron.
However, the most lasting impact of being on Core was recognizing the true definition of inclusivity. “An intern on the Core team said to me ‘diversity is inviting someone to the party, but inclusion is asking them to dance.’ That changed my outlook on everything.”