Meet Maggie Woodruff, our Campus Celebrity of the week! You can find Maggie out on the Ultimate Frisbee field, on duty in Brett Hall, or running Coffeehouses for the Artist Collective! Read on to learn more about this intelligent and creative woman!
You are very involved on campus. What is your favorite activity?
“Probably Ultimate Frisbee because I feel that I have built a family-like community out of it. Runner up would be Verbal Mayhem because I feel like it has inspired me the most and introduced me to the widest range of people.”
I know you were involved with Ultimate Frisbee in high school. What made you want to play at Rutgers?
“Ultimate Frisbee was a huge part of my high school career. It shaped who I am and also gave me access to and opportunities to bond with other teams. I wanted to continue in that community. I knew that coming college would be a huge change even if I felt that I was prepared. I sought out the community here because it would be a familiar thing in an unfamiliar place. What I assumed was correct: I’m really close to my Frisbee family.”
How do you balance all of those activities?
“Constant anxiety. I also have this purple book that is like my bible and life. It has everything I need to get done that day and events that I have that day. My brain is super busy so I need one place to keep it all. I also try to manage things before they come up. I’m always looking to the next day.”
What drew you to Anthropology?
“I stumbled on it because of a class I was taking, but I also feel that I would have ended up there anyway. As I started learning more, it felt very familiar to me. The ideology and teachings seemed to line up with how I think. Anthropology seeks to understand humanity and its different cultures, but it also has a respect for those communities. The practices that anthropology uses are respectful means of research. Anthropology grew out of ignorance so there is also humility in anthropology, which I appreciate. I think my job as a human is to help out my fellow humans and also be aware of my mistakes as I try to do so. I feel a kinship with anthropology. Also people in my anthropology classes are really cool.”
What is one thing you wish people knew about being an Anthropology major?
“I might end up broke but I don’t have to be. I think anthropology can be a career but it also is tool. It’s way of looking at the world. It can be a multiple of different jobs. Anthropologists are useful anywhere because of the ways they think. That is one of the reasons I was so drawn to it. I didn’t see it limiting my future; I saw it expanding my future.”
What is one piece of advice you would give to a large group of people?
“I think the thing I tell myself most often is to breathe. And in that, I’m encompassing slowing down and appreciating where I am in the moment. I spend a lot of time in my own brain, which can be exhausting so I think it’s always useful, if you are in a rut, to spend some time outside of it. You can exercise, or talk to other people, or even change your location, like go to the library or go home. I also have pictures of what I want for my future and when I get there its different but it’s okay. So I think I would tell people to not be disappointed when the pictures are not what you thought they were going to be.”