Julio Olivo, senior global business major and management minor, is the senior class president of Kean University.
He has always been part of Kean University's Student Organization (the full-time undergraduate student government), starting as a freshman class representative before transitioning to class treasurer. For two years he was part of the programming board as coordinator of concerts, cultural and national events, before deciding to head to bigger things such as joining the executive board.
Initially, he wanted to run for vice president of programming, but ended up running for the vacant spot of senior class president. Olivo ran against three other candidates, but was elected by the executive board because of his familiar background with Student Organization.
On campus, Olivo worked for the Department of Education for Statistic Analysis, which had him do a lot of paperwork for the state of N.J. He also worked with his director to assist students in need, specifically helping middle school and high school students with math and science.
Olivo can be seen attending events around campus in an effort to perform better in his role of senior class president.
"I go to these events to see what students are looking for and maybe bring that to Student Organization," he said. "Sometimes I don't have time because I'm the class president and I'm usually in meetings with different types of committees that are on campus."
As senior class president, Olivo is helping inform seniors of the paperwork they need to fill out in order to graduate. He has been working with the Office of Registrar to create a flyer that outlines the steps students need to follow before submitting their paperwork for graduation.
Also, he is working with Student Organization and the other classes to develop March Towards Success and Unity Week, which are two main events during the spring semester for Student Organization.
March Towards Success will focus on career building and lifestyle workshops, which will help students with plans for the future, such as renting an apartment, how to finance themselves or transition themselves in the world.
"I love that Kean [University] is such a diverse campus," Olivo said. "The staff and administration here are so open to the students rather than focusing on profits and having students come here just so the school can gain money. In a sense, I know Student Organization tends to charge for events, but that's not really a profit for Student Organization, but more of a backup to pay for the financials. But pretty much, Kean [University] cares about the students and their success."
An example Olivo mentioned was the opportunity given to him to travel to Germany for a consulting project. He found it to be an amazing experience for the chance to understand, learn and experience a new culture.
"I know we have a campus at Kean Ocean and a campus in China, so I feel Kean [University] allows students to open up their horizons instead of focusing on one particular area," he said. "We're able to open up different doors, and I think that's pretty amazing with Kean University."
Olivo's success did not come alone, as he had his parents providing him both mental and financial support, as well as the motivation to move forward as a first generation college student in his family.
"Thanks to my parents, I was able to do amazing things and be more involved with school," he said. "I found my way in the world, built myself and my resume, which I can say brought me to where I am now."
After graduation, Olivo plans on entering corporate America, specifically looking for a job with Johnson & Johnson. He aims to focus on product development and work on consultant projects. He does plan on getting his masters in informational technology, but will be postponed for a bit until he figures out his financial stability after graduation.
"For those who want to be next year's senior class [president], don't be scared in working hard," Olivo advised. "Sometimes we don't get sleep or we deal with two or three hours of sleep, but that's because this isn't just a position you sit in. You also are trying to accomplish a goal and graduate on time. So I would say sometimes not getting enough sleep is not really that bad at all. We've all gone through it and we work hard and...some of the spare time we have is used on either making a difference for our class or for our campus."
After becoming senior class president, Olivo learned a lot about time management, desk work versus actual work, focusing and not getting distracted and expanding his connections with people, such as Wenzhou-Kean University's Executive Vice Chancellor of Operations. He serves for the Search Committee for Assistant Vice President of Operations to find a suitable candidate to become the Assistant Vice President of Operations for Kean University located at Union, NJ.
Do not be surprised if the name Julio Olivo becomes well-known in corporate America.
