Hometown: Rochester, NY
Graduation Year: 2015
Birthday: June 10, 1993
Major: International Business with a Concentration in Accounting
College is an exciting four years for undergraduate students. It is a time of discovery, exploration, hard work, and fun. Many students fear the day of graduation and what is to follow. But one incredible student, Michelle Maurer, is ready for that graduation date and ready to dive head first into the real world. Her poise, charisma, involvement, and hard work ethic are why she has definitely earned this week’s spot as Campus Celebrity.
HER CAMPUS: Hi Michelle! Thank you for taking the time to speak with us. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? How did you get involved at CUA? We heard you helped found CUSTOS!
MICHELLE: I’ve always wanted to do something with business, and I love learning about the different ways business can be done based on different cultures. I also love accounting and hope to be able to combine the two later on in my career!
Currently on campus, I am actively involved as a member of the 2014-2015 President’s Society, an Orientation Advisor, a member of the School of Business and Economics Student Advisory Council, and yes I’m the co-founder of Custos! Custos Unique Antiquitatis means “Guardians of Tradition by Any Means,” and it is a group under the Dean of Student’s, which was created to help preserve and promote traditions at CUA. Before the group began, many students believed that school spirit was the one aspect of campus that could be improved. The Spirit Committee was already in existence but was composed solely of CUA administrators. Custos has been created to take the place of the Spirit Committee, but from purely a student approach. Our overall goal is to promote certain events at CUA as “bucket list” items that should be attended in order to get the full CUA experience during your four years here.
HER CAMPUS: We are so impressed you took initiative to start an organization. You definitely have a bright future ahead of you. Can you tell us how you foresee your connections at CUA networking you into a career someday?
MICHELLE: My involvement and connections at CUA will help me in the future with my career by helping me stay motivated in reaching long term goals. I know spirit can’t be completely built in a day, a month, or a year. But I know that for each Spirit Friday, there is one more person wearing red and there is one more person attending Founder’s Day or Relay for Life that weekend. Honestly, that’s all I can ask right now since I only have so much time left at CUA. However, I am very confident in knowing 5 or 10 years down the road, Custos will bring something great to this university, and that makes the work we do now that much more exciting. With my involvement on campus, I have learned how to present myself in front of important peers and business executives. I know how to communicate and compromise with people with different interests, and I hope to continue to build on these characteristics in my career after graduation.
HER CAMPUS: Speaking in front of a large group of executives can definitely be intimidating, but with your poise and a professional work outfit, we are sure you would knock it out of the park. What is your go to ensemble for those occasions?
MICHELLE: Hmmm my most professional work outfit…I tend to mix it up depending on the weather….which is awful to try to figure out in D.C with it’s crazy mood changes! But I would have to say the “must haves” of my outfit are a statement necklace (Probably from Marshalls or Francesca’s) and my black pointed toe heels. For some reason when I walk into my internship wearing heels, it’s a boost of confidence that’s subtle, but empowering.
HER CAMPUS: Speaking of empowering, do you have any advice for the underclassmen on how to embrace these next few years of college?
MICHELLE: My advice is to NEVER underestimate yourself. Each person has a talent and something unique about themselves. The only way to find it, is to just try. My freshman year, I had never run a day in my life besides lacrosse in high school when, to be honest, I didn’t play much because I legitimately couldn’t run. I started running the 2nd month into college because I wanted to explore the National Mall on the weekends. I grew to love exploring D.C and with that my love for running followed. My sophomore year spring semester, I ran the Rock and Roll Half Marathon. Get involved and NEVER underestimate yourself- you’ll be surprised at the amount of strength you do have.