This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Tulane chapter.
Name: Owen Knight
Year: 2014
Major: Marketing/Management
Hometown: Bethesda, Maryland
Tell us a little bit about your involvement at Tulane.
I’m an admissions intern in the Admissions Office, a social media intern, I’m
on the executive board for Green Wave Ambassadors, involved in Fiji, on the
Interfraternity Council executive board, and I did rowing for a year. I also play
intramural flag football three times a week.
When did you become a social media intern?
Second semester of my sophomore year.
How has being a social media intern and “Tulane Owen” affected
your life?
More so than I expected it to. I thought I would just be writing a blog, tweeting,
and that it wouldn’t be a big deal. The first time I was approached was when
I was in Boston for GWA on the road and some kid came up to me and was
like “you’re Tulane Owen, I read your blog,” and I was just like “What?” Then,
my presence on the Facebook group made a lot of people recognize me at
Orientation as “the kid from the Facebook group,” and then when they saw
me again when the school year started, they were like “oh, you’re Tulane
Owen!” The Facebook group was the catalyst, which I never expected.
Did you ever get frustrated with the repetitive questions on the
Facebook group?
It was not the repetitiveness that got frustrating, it was the fact that people
used the Facebook group as Google, rather than just typing the question
into Google, when they would’ve gotten the same answer. That being said, I
didn’t mind doing it because I like helping people and it is better to get more
of a personal spin on it, but certain yes or no questions could have been
found faster for them if they had just gone to a search engine rather than the
Facebook group. But I was not annoyed.
What has been the most rewarding part of being an OTL?
You can tell people are still really nervous and unsure when they come
to orientation. They’re not necessarily scared, but they’re just unsure of
everything. Then, you see them again when the year starts and you see
them around and you can tell they’re just loving it. I know I’m not directly
responsible, but I know a few people have come up and been like “oh you
were my OTL, it was great” and you can tell you got people excited about
Tulane, and it’s definitely nice to see that. That’s the most rewarding thing –
just knowing you helped someone transition and made it easier for them.
What is your favorite part about being a Tulane student?
Going to Tulane. But really, I like how you have ample opportunities to get
involved as well as get a good education. I’ve probably learned more from
experiences with student organizations in terms of being a person and being
a functioning human being than things on a test. I’ve learned a lot through
experiences and learned by doing rather than being told.
What was the experience of being on homecoming court like?
It was a lot of fun. My girlfriend Alexa was on court last year so I saw her go
through the whole process and it was really cool to see. Although a year ago
I would have never guessed that I would have been able to do it, after this
summer and seeing that the freshmen all knew me I realized it was possible
so I was really hoping to do it. Anyone could have won, but just being on court
was what it was all about. Getting your parents to come into town, getting to
go to Scott Cowen’s house, the pep rally, sitting in the box, going on the field
– it was just awesome. It was a great group of people.
What are your plans for after graduation?
I’d like to stay in New Orleans, either in marketing or some business capacity.
Right now, my dream job is to work in the admissions office, but we’ll see.
Tulane Favorites:
1. Place to eat off campus: Adam’s Street Grocery – it’s close to campus and
they have really good, really cheap po-boys. But my favorite fancy restaurant is
definitely Peche.
2. Place to study: N/A
3. School event: Wave Goodbye. It’s fun because everyone’s parents are there
and the food is amazing.