When we sat down with senior Maricruz Alvarado, the first thing we noticed wasn’t what she was wearing or her cute clutch; it was her booming personality.
“I feel like we’re getting set up for a blind date!” Alvarado jokes from the end of the hallway, laughing as she walks around to join us at one of the on-campus eateries.
It becomes clear to us quickly that Alvarado’s friendly nature definitely warrants her Campus Celebrity status; everyone keeps stopping by to wave, say hi or ask what she’s up to.
While Alvarado is well known for her good temperament, it’s also her active involvement on Oswego State’s campus that earns her the Campus Celebrity title.
Alvarado has been a member of the Black Student Union since her freshman year, securing the title of Vice President her sophomore year and then serving as President last year.
“Once I started showing high interest in the organization, that’s when the [Executive] Board had an eye for me,” Alvarado says.
This year, she will take on the role of senior advisor, acting as more of a consultant for the organization.
“When I see an organization that has so much potential to improve, I like to help it reach a high achievement level,” Alvarado says. “Then I like to step back and see it work on its own; it’s leading by example.”
The Black Student Union is part of the ALANA division, the umbrella group for all multicultural organizations on Oswego State’s campus. The division will put on its annual ALANA conference September 18-24, another event that Alvarado has strong ties to.
“It broadens our horizons as multicultural organizations,” she says. “This is our way to show our similarities amongst different cultures since as minorities, we usually show our differences.”
The ALANA conference features workshops put on by on-campus groups about topics that affect the community. This year, Alvarado will be organizing how the conference will run, along with coordinating the conference’s annual fashion show and putting on her own workshop about women in leadership.
“Sometimes as females, a lot of the things we’re going through – whether it’s going through puberty, maternal responsibility, or double standards – prevent us from making movements as fast as we can,” she says. “My workshop will teach you how to get started tomorrow to reaching your long-term goal.”
Alvarado participated in a five-day conference this summer at the University of Maryland that focused on women in leadership roles on their college campuses. She used that conference as inspiration for her own workshop.
“It brought awareness to me about initiative and how to get things started,” Alvarado says. “I’m just trying to bring that light to everyone else.”
While Alvarado’s support for women and minorities is evident, she’s careful to not let it outshine her support for all groups.
“Power to the females, but I consider myself a strong advocate for just people in general,” she says.
Alvarado credits her middle school in the Bronx for her strong voice. The school, which promoted student involvement and the student voice, helped Alvarado develop her own personality as the youngest of three.
“Once I had the chance to speak, I could not be stopped,” she says. “I feel like there is so much to say and so much to do; when the time is open to speak, I’ll take it.”
When she’s not participating in BSU or ALANA, Alvarado works as a clerical assistant at the Office of Judicial Affairs on campus and likes to give back through volunteering.
“I’m one of those people that my hobbies are integrated in what I do in school,” she explains. “I’ll tell you I like doing community service, it doesn’t even feel like working because these activities are so integrated in the organizations I’m part of.”
This senior philosophy major has big plans after her time at Oswego State.
“People always ask why I chose philosophy, what can I do with that degree,” she laughs. “I plan to go to law school, focusing on either property law or maybe immigration law.”
Although this will be her last year at Oswego State, Alvarado doesn’t appear to be plagued with the same senioritis that infects many graduating seniors.
“My goal this year is to branch out to the whole SUNY Oswego community,” she says. “I haven’t figured out how I’m going to do that yet, but I just want to reach out to everybody now.”