This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Vanderbilt chapter.
We’ve all heard of the Vanderbilt trifecta: VUceptor, RA, and Tour Guide. How anyone could get accepted to all of these positions AND find the time to balance them is a mystery. So I asked a friend, Asheeka Desai, to clarify this a bit for us. Asheeka is a sophomore Communication Studies and Sociology double major and Clarinet Performance minor. She is also a member of Masala-SACE, the South Asian Cultural Exchange Program, and a new member of Zeta Tau Alpha. She always makes time for friends and does the most that she can for any organization she is involved in, while also getting killer grades! One thing is for sure- her future is very bright!
1) How do you find time to balance all of the activities you are doing?
I truly enjoy and love everything I’m involved in, so finding time for it all isn’t too difficult. The most important thing to me here at Vanderbilt is my academic life and I dedicate the most time to making sure that I get my schoolwork done and that my grades are high. I don’t like sitting around and doing nothing, so I try to stay busy and involved in a lot of different things. I allocate time to each of my activities so that I am contributing to each of them and giving my 110% in everything I do.
2) What got you interested in being a Tour Guide and a VUceptor?
I had a really rough first semester at Vanderbilt and had a hard time adjusting. Both my RA and VUceptor helped me a lot in my adjustment process and college life in general. When I returned to Vanderbilt after winter break, I changed my mindset completely and took advantage of every opportunity I was given; I now absolutely LOVE Vanderbilt and cannot imagine being anywhere else. As soon as applications for VUcept and Tour Guides were posted, I knew I wanted to apply for both. I was interested in
being a VUceptor because I know that many first year students go through the same experiences and difficulties that I did, and I really wanted to be a mentor and friend to them. Tour Guides really interested me as well because I want other people to know how amazing Vanderbilt is!
3) Does the hard work you put into being an RA pay off? What is your favorite part of the job?
Being an RA on the Commons is a lot of hard work, but it’s SO rewarding and I absolutely love it! My favorite part of the job is definitely my amazing group of girls on Gillette 6! I’ve really enjoyed getting to know all of them and now, they’re not only my residents, but they’re friends. The love I have for these girls is so great and I can’t wait to get to know them even better over the course of the year and watch them grow during the next few years.
4) When is your Diwali performance?
Diwali is on November 9 in Langford Auditorium! For those of you who don’t know about Diwali, it’s an event hosted by Masala-SACE and the biggest multicultural event on campus. Diwali, also known as the “festival of lights,” is a 5 day Hindu festival celebrating the return of Lord Rama after his 14 year exile. The Diwali show at Vanderbilt is an awesome production of many Indian dances and other performances—it’s definitely a show you do not want to miss! This year, I am co-choreographing one of the dances called “Raas.” Raas is a traditional Indian dance.
5) How do you like Zeta Tau Alpha so far?
I absolutely LOVE Zeta so far! All my sisters are so sweet and they’ve made me feel so welcome. I’m truly blessed to be part of such an incredible sisterhood and I can’t wait to get to know my sisters even better and make some great memories!
PS: Asheeka also, somehow, has time to paint amazing canvases!! She is going to be taking requests before Christmas break and selling them, so message her if you want
one for your future little!