Behind the Scenes at Student Activities
Michele Williams, right, has been a part of the Red Fox Family for two decades.
Source: Michele Williams
The founders of Marist College believed in the power of "doing good quietly"—and Michele Williams, associate director of student activities, tries to embody this spirit. Now in her 20th year in the position, she is just one more reason why Marist students have numerous memorable moments to cherish.
Williams serves as one of two advisors to Marist's Student Government Association, where she meets weekly with both SGA as a whole and the executive leadership team. But, her primary responsibilities fall within Marist’s extracurricular activities. She helps student organizations with the behind-the-scenes work that goes into campus club operations.
From placing catering orders to processing reimbursements and purchase orders to generating website content and flyers, Williams maintains and accomplishes multiple tasks.
"I am somebody here who is really helping them on all those nitty gritty details while they're…getting through the process,” she said. “I'm somebody here on the backend that's ready to help them through their day-to-day.”
Williams is assisted in her work by Navkiran Pandher ‘23, SGA vice president of club affairs. They meet every week to discuss club-related proceedings and each share updates on both their professional and personal lives. “I’m really looking for her blessing on a lot of things…she’s just a good guidance giver,” Pandher said.
When she was an undergraduate student at Binghamton University, Williams studied English, but her only true activity outside the classroom was immersing herself as an EMT for the local ambulance squad. Her passion for the higher education field was sparked by her collegiate mentor, who just so happened to be the university's dean of students. "I interviewed him for a journalism class…and I started to learn all about the areas in which I connect to here at Marist and student affairs," she said.
At her time of graduation, Williams was already working with Binghamton's admissions office, but she did not have a full-time job offer just yet. She soon received a position as an assistant resident director, which allowed her to take the next steps on her career path.
"In that time, I really then started to understand and immerse myself more in higher ed and student affairs and apply for grad school at Syracuse [University],” said Williams. She did indeed engage in graduate studies at Syracuse and has traded upstate New York for the Hudson Valley ever since.
While many students come to college to study various interests and eventually earn their degree, it is also a place to build connections with the community and have fun. Each week, Williams meets with the president of the Student Programming Council to stay up-to-date with the board's plans for activities.
For SPC President Anna Kallajian ‘23, working with Williams weekly has made her a better and more creative leader. But, she has also gained a great friend. “It’s just enjoyable to be able to…have her there as more than just a leadership mentor and advisor, but as someone who I can go to chat with as well,” she said.
The events offered are largely dictated by student interest, and the ever-popular Broadway trips are a classic example. At SPC general meetings, members are asked which shows they think the Marist student body would like to see and after the board gives Williams the top choices, she identifies which dates would work best and coordinates with a Broadway agent to secure tickets.
“It’s always fun to see our events play out and see people enjoy them, smiling and talking and it makes all of our hard work seem so worth it,” said Kallajian.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the restrictions on social interaction forced Williams and her team to pivot by offering smaller-scale programs. In fact, recent events held this semester like tie-dye and coloring were inspired by the pandemic lockdown.
"We had smaller group sizes, so there were ways that you could connect to people in more intimate, personal ways and learn about students and just connect as human beings," she said.
While Williams' job may look easy, a lot of time and energy go into every activity the student body gets to take part in. Whether she books a room for cookie decorating or orders stuff-a-plush foxes, the transformation from ideas to reality is an extraordinary process for her.
"To see the event, after all the time you spent planning…leading up to the day of and then to see it all happen. And then, the students' excitement around it, and then it's over, and you get to debrief and just take it all in—it’s incredible," she said.
Williams empowers students with the information and resources they need to turn their passions and interests into unique opportunities. Events such as the Cultural Dinner Dance or Mon Afrique are the kinds of programs that increase engagement and bring people together. "And that's what I'm most proud of, is being able to watch the students plan these events and see their dreams of these events come to life,” she said.
As far as how next semester will go, students will just have to be patient and wait to find out about the fun events SPC has in store.
"We're doing it all because we want you…to be part of a community here that is yours and makes you happy and to meet friends and to make new connections with other people," she said. "So, that's why we do it."