This week we sat down with Kate Cassidy, the Assistant Director for Housing Operations, and overseer of the First Year Program. Read on to hear more about Kate, her time at Holy Cross, her love of hiking and what she thinks of Clark so far!
Tell us more about yourself and what you do at Clark.
I grew up in Worcester before moving to New York. In college, I studied Sociology and Studio Art at Holy Cross and I have a Master’s of Science in College Student Personnel from the University of Rhode Island.
I’ve worked in res. life for eight years. At Clark, I’m the Assistant Director for Housing Operations, so I supervise the entire first year area and the RAs in Bullock, and work with students who need to be assigned to housing or room changes. My work is mostly day-to-day operations.
What was it like for you going to college at Holy Cross?
I’m a super proud alumna – it was one of the best experiences of my life. I had to pay for school on my own, so my college experience was different from many of my peers’. It is more typical of today’s college student since so many people work. It was great for me to understand independence and the value of earning my own schooling. That is what I’m most proud of now, to be able to say I paid for my undergrad degree.
I was an RA at Holy Cross, and everyone in the department at that time was awesome. They helped guide us to discover ourselves, which is why I now work in residence life; it was such an awesome and impactful experience for me.
How do you like being at Clark?
I love being at Clark. I love that it’s a walking campus because it brings people together. I really like the community, which is why I wanted to work here. I think that the students are very creative and caring and that’s super important.
I appreciate how involved the student body is in whatever they’re passionate about. I’ve worked at places where students are apathetic and I’ve also seen the opposite, where students are super involved. Clark is more on the super involved side, which is very cool. It means that people are doing the things that they love which is really important.
I haven’t worked with first years in a while and what I love most is the energy. They are out on their own, learning to be independent and taking things on with so much excitement and hope about new experiences. They may not be as realistic as upperclassman students, but it’s kind of nice to see how optimistic they are about everything. They’re so positive and that’s the nicest part – there’s no skepticism.
You said this past weekend was your first free weekend since May! What do you like to do when you have free time?
I do a lot of indoor and outdoor rock climbing, and enjoy being outside in general. I love trying new trails and getting outside to do things like that with friends.
I make most of my own birthday cards and thank you cards. It’s how I get my creative juices flowing – I was an art major and don’t get use them much anymore.
Going out to eat is always fun, and I have a long list of places to go in Worcester!
What are your favorite places to eat in Worcester?
Oh, gosh… It depends on food I think! Miss Worcester is my favorite place for breakfast. Gibby’s Ice cream is also one of my favorite places.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
It was to slow down and take time for myself. I was in college and it came from my first real supervisor, who has since become my mentor in the field. She saw how much of myself I was committing to other people, offices, and activities, and how little time I was taking for myself to recharge. Self-care has become a central part of who I am as an individual now.
What advice would you give to college women?
Keep fighting to show people what you’re capable of. So many of the women I know are extremely hard on themselves and don’t celebrate the small triumphs along the way. Don’t let other people’s assumptions about you or what you’re capable of stop you from doing what you love, what you want to do, or who you want to be.
Anything else we should know about you?
My door is always open! Whether you’re an upperclassman or first year I’d love to talk to you. I love hearing students’ experiences and meeting new people so swing by, my office is straight through the front door in Bullock Hall. Even if my door isn’t open feel free to shoot me an email. If there’s anything I can do for you, or if you just want to talk let me know!
Fun Fact: Kate’s familiar with Her Campus because her sister was the Campus Co-Correspondent at American University in DC!
Thanks for the interview, Kate!