Being a senior, running two clubs, and still being upbeat and positive seems like a daunting task, but Mary Kate Gladstone makes it happen. She was nominated to be Campus Celeb this week because of her awesome work with Children’s Charities Club; she loves working with kids, and Children’s Charities Club is one of the easiest ways to get involved on Xavier’s campus. We chatted with her about what she likes best about the club, what it’s like running a club, and what she looks forward to for this year!Â
Hometown: Hudson, OHÂ
Year: Senior, Class of 2015 (ahh!)
Major/Minor: Communication Studies Major with a Psychology MinorÂ
Activities involved in: Children’s Charities Club (Vice President) & SCO Boyz II Men Mentoring Program (Co-President)
Other Hobbies: Hanging out with my friends (the absolute best people in the world), running, & just being outside… sometimes all three of those things happen at the same time! Â
What role does Children’s Charities play on Xavier’s Campus?
Both of the clubs that I am involved with focus on children, so I guess Children’s Charities Club (CCC) and Boyz II Men both play the role of forming opportunities for Xavier students to get involved with different opportunities that work with great kids and other local organizations.Â
What charity is Children’s Charities Club focusing on this year?
We are actually going to be voting on our focus charity for this school year at our next meeting this coming week; we have some great options lined up… So stayed tuned with CCC to find out!  Â
What inspired you to be so involved with Children’s Charities at Xavier?Â
I love working with kids, and, when I started to get involved as an underclassmen, I realized how great the people that tend to be involved with these two clubs really are! I just followed that good gut feeling and the rest of my involvement just fell into place.Â
Is being a President of a club hard work?Â
It definitely takes time and effort but it is also so much fun. Luckily, I do not work alone in the slightest with both of these clubs. I am Co-President of the SCO mentoring program and the VP of CCC; the other students in the executive positions for these two clubs are amazing, making it much more fun and enjoyable since we all work so well together.Â
What do you enjoy about it?Â
I love working with other people in the leadership positions, it’s really cool to brainstorm new ideas and set goals that you eventually see come to life. It’s also especially awesome because I get to work with the kids and find out what they like to do and then incorporate it in our programs. This way we make sure that we are doing things that kids enjoy, making it more fun for the volunteers and kids in general.Â
What is your favorite Children’s Charities event at Xavier?Â
Definitely the CCC 5K. Every spring CCC puts on a 5K to benefit the chosen focus charity of the year. The event itself takes a lot of planning and preparation but is so worth it. The race day environment is so much fun and always supports such a great cause; we had huge success last year!Â
How would people find out more information and get more involved?
Email is the easiest form of contact just because I know both clubs check their emails frequently. It’s also the best way to find out meeting times and involvement opportunities. CCC email: XUCCC@xavier.edu & SCO Boyz II Men email: studentcommunityorganizers@gmail.com
Favorite TV Show: I like almost anything on Netflix… especially Scandal, House of Cards, One Tree Hill, and Lie to Me! Â
Favorite spot on Campus: The Elet Stairs under the arch of the building facing Victory Parkway. It’s such a great view of campus, especially when the leaves are changing in the fall! Â
Favorite Xavier Memory: Wow, it is hard to chose just one favorite. I would say my most recent one is having both of my little brothers at Xavier this year; Michael is a freshman and Joe is now a sophomore. It’s so great to have them here with me, especially for my senior year. They have become close with my friends too, which is an added bonus having some of the people I care most about all be in the same place!Â