Senior Jenna Kersten is not just a staff writer for our very own Her Campus Siena. In addition to writing, she keeps busy as a Resident Assistant, Writing Center consultant, ENL mentor, social media intern at the Office of International Programs, and a Dake Fellow at the Center for Academic Community and Engagement (ACE). You’re sure to find her around campus with a smile on her face and a coffee thermos in her hand (as we finished our conversation, she mentioned, “I need more coffee”). She shared how she balances daily life, why she’s been working with a certain English professor, some of her post-graduation plans, and more.
Hometown: Hamburg, NY
Major: English with minors in German and International Studies
Favorite spot on campus: My favorite spot on campus is the patio right outside of the chapel. During the summer, when we were supposed to be in the ACE office working on projects, I would just sit out there and read and send emails. I really like it when it’s nice out. Sometimes even now, it’s still pretty nice and warm if you have coffee.
Favorite on-campus food: I like when Saga makes pierogis. Those are yummy.
HC Siena: You’re the first Her Campus Siena member actually profiled on HC, because we can’t think of anything you’re not involved in. With all of these activities and responsibilities, what is your typical day like?
JK: For most of my classes, I try to wake up by 7:30-ish, and then usually get ready, grab breakfast. I then usually try to schedule work first thing in the morning because work I’m less likely to want to skip, whereas if I have classes first thing, I’ll try to rationalize whether or not I need to go – which is terrible! Then I’ll usually do work for a couple of hours, maybe have a couple meetings or do some homework. I’ve been reserving the little rooms in the library. I’ll usually bop between working in the study abroad office and working on my thesis, or doing work at the ACE office. Sometimes I’ll have RA duties, whether it’s meetings or being on duty or having programs. Then I’ll go to bed whenever my work is done.
HC Siena: What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned by being a RA for almost three full years?
JK: I think the most valuable thing I’ve learned is how important it is to develop relationships with people. With RA stuff, there’s certain things I have to do to make sure that people are healthy and safe and doing well academically, but I’ve always appreciated it when people try to get to know me as a person than just doing the job that’s in relation to me and leaving. I’ve learned how important it is to develop relationships and meet people where they are. For some people, they like to have a lot of support; some people prefer to say ‘hi’ every once in a while, and some people get to be friends, so it’s acknowledging that you can have different relationships with different people.
HC Siena: Tell me more about your collaboration with Dr. Wilhite in the English department.
JK: That started last fall through my work as a CETL and Dake Fellow with the Center for ACE. I was working with Dr. Ruth Kassel to identify more classes that we could make community engaged, which basically means that there would be a partnership between a class and a local nonprofit organization where the class provides some sort of help that the organization needs. While doing so, I thought of Dr. Wilhite’s course on the City and American Literature, which was one of the best courses that I’ve taken at Siena. I really wanted to figure out a way to make that course, or a course like it, community engaged. Dr. Wilhite and I talked about it, and have spent the past year and the summer figuring out the logistics of this course. It’s running in the spring as Literature and the Refugee Crisis and will be on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:50 pm to 5:15 pm. The class will be working on refugee narratives and preparing a deliverable for Refugee and Immigrant Support Services of Emmaus (RISSE) in Albany, a local organization that provides afterschool care and English to Speakers of Other Languages classes for children and adults in the Capital Region. I’m pretty pumped and everyone should register for it!
HC Siena: Has college helped you find any passions you weren’t really aware of before?
JK: It has in so many ways! For one, college has helped me to really get out of my comfort zone and develop more confidence. I’m by no means the most assertive person in the world, but I’m certainly more so now. Additionally, coming to Siena has made me more aware of my interest in International Studies as a field, which is now a fundamental component of the education that I’ve received here, as well as what I want to do with my life.
HC Siena: You went abroad last semester to study in Berlin. What would you say to anyone wanting to study in Germany or Europe in general?
JK: Berlin is so cold! I didn’t bring enough sweaters for January, so that was a little chilly. An actual piece of advice that I can give is that, while it’s super important to push yourself outside of your comfort zone and try new things, especially in a new place, it’s also really nice to continue to do some of the things that you normally find meaningful in this new context. For example, when I was in Berlin I would go to Sunday Mass in German, which was really good for my language practice, but also just nice to have that sense of home and connection back to Siena. During Lent, when a lot of it was in Latin, it was actually really nice because it’s the same period of time when Mass is a little more in Latin here. It was a nice way to still feel connected to something I found important. In addition to that, I found poetry readings and I tried to go to a lot of bookstores and cafes, acknowledging the things that I liked doing, even in another country. It’s good to try new things, but it’s still good to acknowledge who you are and what you like.
HC Siena: As a soon-to-be second semester senior, what plans do you have for after graduation?
JK: I’ve applied for a Fulbright grant to hopefully teach English in Germany, ideally to minority and refugee populations, but I’m still waiting to hear back whether or not I was accepted into that program. Following that, I’m hoping to pursue a Masters degree in Comparative Literature and Migration Studies. Basically, what I’d like to do is work with organizations that promote intercultural dialogue through storytelling and writing, because I think it’s really one of the best ways we can express ourselves and connect with others.
HC Siena: What advice do you have for any freshmen with their entire Siena experience ahead of them?
JK: Do everything. Do all of the things, even the things that you think you wouldn’t do, within reason – be safe and healthy! But there are so many things that I’ve done here that, coming into college, I never would have expected. Being a RA, I never thought I’d be outgoing enough to do something like that. I studied Portuguese in Brazil for a little bit – I never thought that would happen! Acknowledge that as much as you want to do everything, you can’t do everything, but definitely get involved. As much as I’ve loved my classes here and all of the learning experiences I’ve had through them, my time outside the classroom has been so much more fulfilling. You can go to your classes and learn, and it’s good to develop knowledge, but it’s also important to gain experience in things that you enjoy. I would also say that if there’s anything that you don’t like that you’re in, just quit it. There are a couple of things I wasn’t super passionate about that I stuck to, just for the sake of it, and those didn’t end up always being the most fulfilling experiences because I wasn’t invested in them. But do as much as you can!