By Alaina Heenan
This spotlight features Olivia Hanson ‘22, a Bergstrom Resident Assistant, because her commitment to guiding first year students contributes to the sense of community that characterizes the Honors Program. Majoring in Organismal Biology and Environmental Science with a minor in Religious Studies, Olivia said that after graduating from SNC she plans to “… attend grad school to study the evolutionary side of animal behavior, and get a masters degree in wildlife biology. After that I hopefully will get involved in animal population research focusing on conservation efforts.”
As a freshman in the Honors Program, I chose to feature Olivia in this edition’s “Student Spotlight” because she has been a helpful peer in navigating the first year experience. In asking Olivia what sparked her interest in becoming a Bergstrom RA, she said her participation in the ALIVE program as a freshman and sophomore allowed her to realize she wanted to become more involved. Olivia said, “as a freshman and sophomore, I worked in Bergstrom on the ALIVE Team, and my favorite part of that job was always the community-building aspect and being able to be a resource and someone that the first years could ask questions when they needed help or to make connections. I wanted to be even more immersed in the Bergstrom community as a resource and someone who was there to help the Bergstrom students navigate their way through their very first year at SNC.”
Olivia also provides a unique perspective on how one’s experience in the Honors Program evolves, especially now that she is on the coordinator side of the Honors-student-RA relationship. When I asked her how being involved as a Bergstrom RA has added to her experience as an Honors student, she said that, “… being an RA in Bergstrom has added a lot to my Honors experience. I get the opportunity to fill in Stacey and Dr. Mann about how things are going and work with them to promote and/or plan events for the freshman. I also get to be a resource for Honors first-years who may have concerns about balancing being in the Honors Program on top of their regular college experience.”
I was also curious to hear an upperclassman’s perspective on how involvement within the community may shape one’s experience in the Honors Program. In her response, Oliva said that, “being in the Honors Program has given me the opportunity to be part of a community of people that care so much about their academics and being holistic students, and making connections and forming friendships with those kinds of people back when I was a freshman has helped incentivize me to take full advantage of my time here as a student at SNC. I also know that I am so absolutely supported by Stacey, Dr. Mann, the Bergstrom REH staff, and everyone else who helps make the Honors Program what it is. They are so willing to help the Honors students be successful as we move forward in our college journey.”
Olivia’s readiness to guide first year students inspired me to feature her, as well as how her involvement with ALIVE inspired her to become more immersed within the Honors community as a Bergstrom RA. In her time, Olivia has been able to contribute to the Honors Program, more specifically the first year experience. Thank you, Olivia Hanson, for sharing your unique perspective!
