The Basics:
Name: Jillian Ross
Hometown: Houston, TX
Major: Biomedical Engineering
College/Year: SEAS ’16
Jillian Ross (SEAS’16) is quite well known–as a regular member on the committees of several campus events and president of SEAS 2016, Jillian’s one of those personalities we’ve gotten used to seeing around campus. With a schedule full of extracurriculars, and, of course, the full academic load of a Columbia engineering student, time management is a necessary skill. But although it’s difficult, Jillian appears to have struck a healthy balance between play and work. “It is definitely hard,” Ross says of her packed schedule. “It takes a lot of organizational skills to make sure everything works… I make a calendar on my computer and I have everything scheduled—when I’m going to the library, when my meetings are, when I have assignments due—and that just helps me keep track of everything.” From what she tells me, Jillian has a lot to keep track of: “everything” not only includes her responsibilities in student government, but also as an active member of the National Society of Black Engineers, the Society of Women Engineers, the Undergraduate Recruitment Committee, and the Residential Hall Leadership Organization for Carman Hall.
Jillian is also quite the party planner, hosting a variety of on-campus events. “[Hosting all of these events] is stressful, but…also rewarding. I really like [being involved in] a lot of student-life activities on campus.” Despite the stress that comes with a calender full of campus event planning, Jillian really enjoys the process, saying, “I feel like that builds a strong community where everyone can come together and leave their other stresses behind and just have fun for those few hours. It brings me joy.” To date, Jillian’s favorite event is Space Jam: Glass House Rocks, the 2013 version of an annual party thrown in Lerner Hall. “It was one of the biggest events on campus,” she adds.
For Jillian, politics isn’t just a hobby to fill up time between class–it’s practice for the future. When asked about her dream job, Ross responded that she would “definitely love to be President of the United States. There’s a long way to go before that though.” But as for the less distant future, travel and exploration are more immediate goals. After college, Jillians plans to take a year off to just “backpack around the world and look at different cultures—maybe [go to] Africa.” After stepping ground on the Sahara and making her way down to South Africa, Jillian plans on going to medical school.
It’s this interesting balance of free spirited friendliness and professional aspiration that has led to Jillian becoming so involved at Columbia–even after just a semester as an official part of its community. I’ve just met Jillian for the first time, but it’s with confidence that I can say that she truly cares about the Columbia community.
Note: An earlier version of this article stated that Ross was CC ’16, when, in fact, she is SEAS ’16. This has since been corrected.