College can be a stressful time for many students. Students have to jungle classes, jobs and social lives all the while not trying to go crazy; however, Kean University student Casey Kanarkowski is able to juggle it all. Between classes, his job, and volunteering at the high school he graduated from, some may wonder how stress does not envelope him.

Kanarkowski is a recent graduate of Ocean County College [OCC] and is currently the vice president of the Kean Ocean Student Organization. He transferred to Kean University at the beginning of the 2013 fall semester and is currently studying to get his bachelor degree in history and secondary education. With his college education, Kanarkowski “plans on pursuing a career as a teacher of social studies/history.”

Although he studies at Kean University and works at OCC, he, along with the rest of Student Organization, still find a way to be connected. “It is really easy to stay connected with the Student Organization up at the Union Campus,” Kanarkowski comments.

Not only is Kanarkowski a dedicated individual, but he is also a person who does not shy away from stepping outside of his comfort zone. As said before, he is a history education major, but currently he “works as a broadcaster for the Toms River Regional Schools’ school channel, TR Schools TV” in which he “mostly [does] play-by-play and commentary for high school sporting events.” He has been working for TR Schools TV for four years and goes to Toms River weekly to talk about the different sporting events that take place at the school. The time and work put forth by Kanarkowski as a broadcaster is done pro-bono. He became interested in this job “during [his] junior year of high school at Toms River High School East, when [his] advanced placement [AP] history class interviewed local World War II veterans to create a compilation of autobiographical accounts of their military service to coincide with Veterans Day 2010. The producer of the channel, Chip Phillips, was interested in bringing [him] on board with the program. [Phillips and Kanarkowski] kept in touch after [he] graduated high school in 2011, [which resulted with him going back] to broadcast games for TR Schools TV.” Although he volunteers as a broadcaster on the TR Schools TV, he “never took part in any film production classes during his high school career.” Instead, he was a part of the school newspaper.

Not only does he enjoy volunteering at his old high school, but he also enjoys visiting historical sites, such as Mount Vernon and Gettysburg. “Watching the news to stay informed; reading books on history and sports; and following my favorite sports team” which includes the football team of Notre Dame, the New York Giants and the basketball team of Duke University. Kanarkowski is also a huge fan of the jazz singer Frank Sinatra; he comments “he was simply the best.”

The Student Organization, as explained by Kanarkowski, is a “branch of the student government that serves the full-time undergraduate student population. We are the voice of the students… we listen to [the students’] opinions and concerns…[and] take their concerns and relay them to the administration and try to achieve positive outcomes.” Therefore, if any students would like to voice their opinion either at the campuses of Kean University or Kean Ocean, the Student Organization is the place to go. Not only does the student organization help voice the opinion of the students, but they also host several bus trips and campus events that the student population wishes to have the opportunity to participate in.

Although Kanarkowski’s time as a student at Kean University and as the vice president at of the Kean Ocean Student Government is coming to a close, it does not mean he cannot continue to leave his mark amongst the students at both campuses. Kanarkowski would like to advise the students of Kean University and OCC with a quote said by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm.” He would also like to say that “you should never forget how blessed you are to live in the greatest country in the history of the world!”