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Show PERSONALITY 8 Helping Griffins gear ,t TAELER GANNUSCIA STAFF REPORTER I i StuQ: Share your vision of First-Yedent Orientation. What would you like to see happen in the next few years as you establish yourself here? A: Orientation for me is... its your one shot to actually get people set up to be successful here. Which is why I think doing things like Griffin GearUp and ar - f ; : -- J Not only does he have a killer man bun, but he also said he has students best interests in mind. Ryan Cook, Westminsters director of student involvement, leadership, and orientation, is now settling down after Student preparing all year for First-YeOrientation this fall. Although Cook has only been a part of Westminster for one year, he said he is invested in creating a dynamic program students take their first that helps first-ye- pre-orientat- ion warding. programs are so important, because it really starts the process. It kind of whets your palate and says, This is what you have to look forward to. This is what you need to know now before you get here. Students that have that experience that actually came here for orientation felt so much more prepared. They were much more comfortable and much more versed in Westminster life by that time. We really put this emphasis on our orientation leaders on being a family. Thats what Westminster feels like. When you walk on campus, it should never feel like you are out of place here. Thats the environment that we are looking for; thats the experience we are looking for, and we train our leaders and build the program that way. First --Year Student Orientation is only one week long, but Cook said it usually takes 10 months of the year to plan. Q: Tell me about your educational background. A: Well, I grew up in Wisconsin. Many . ar ar steps onto college campus a little easier. Juan Lopez, a junior marketing major, has worked alongside Cook and other students to help plan and execute First-YeStudent Orientation for the past two years. Ryan is great at pushing people to do their best, Lopez said. I think this year more than others you really got a feeling that it was very student run and student focused. This has been a valuable learning experience, as well as being extremely rear 9-- . up for Fall 2016 Q: What does your title (director of student involvement, leadership, and orientation) suggest you do? A: I get to work in housing, to be on an rotation, to do student conducts, to do student activities, to work with clubs and organizations, to do orientation, to do leadership programs, to be the adviser of several of those groups, to do academic advising and counseling for students that are struggling and to be involved with multiple committees that meet with students of all different backgrounds to help them stay reexperiences. My apartment that I lived in tained at the college. Thats an absurd list of burned down my junior year of college and responsibilities to have. ' the dean of students that was there really Q: Your professional title is quite long. helped mentor me. I kept seeking him out Have you made up a nickname for yourafter that experience. I chose to pursue grad self? school in education at Denver University. I A: SILO. I wish SILO stuck more with lived in Denver for the last two years and other people, but it just doesnt. I wish I got involved with student activities and could just say that Im the director of SILO and people would just be like Oh, I know programs and student conduct as well. what that is. There are enough other acroQ: Why Westminster? A: It let me ski still and be outside and nyms that it should work. Thats actually let me go to national parks and do all of going to be one of my responsibilities this those things that I really liked doing making SILO a thing. year I That was very important to me. also was able to get a position out of grad school that was incredibly lucrative. Wisconsin kids go to Wisconsin schools, so I decided to go to the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire because of music. They allowed me to be able to do a lot of their choirs and the acapella groups and all of the smaller ensemble work that I wanted to be able to do. The music scene is really healthy there. I really loved it. I then decided I was going to be a physical therapist and changed my major a few times to get there. I took a sociology class in my super senior year that kind of changed my life, mixed with a few other life recre-ational- ly. on-du- ty |