Getting involved on campus is one of the many ways college students can make their college experience more memorable. This is something Kayla Asare, a senior at Kean University, knows well. Not only is she the current Chapter President of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, but she also serves as the Student Trustee for Kean University's Board of Trustees.
A Board of Trustees is an elected group of people who are responsible for managing an organization. Kean University has a Board of Trustees made up of 15 members, all appointed by the Governor of New Jersey. Each year, a Student Trustee representative is picked to work alongside the Board of Trustees. Asare was this year's pick, having learned of the chance to become a Student Trustee from one of her professors while working for Kean Hall.
Since becoming the Student Trustee this year, Asare has learned how to enhance her public speaking skills, and has discovered the ins and outs of working in every department at Kean, as well as "how decisions are made in order to make Kean a better place. "
Asare certainly wants to make Kean a better place as she takes her position as Student Trustee, as well as all of her other positions at Kean, seriously.
"'Student Trustee is not a job, it is more than that. It places you in a position of power that can be used to make the lives of students better. I believe in pushing yourself to be the best person you can be and setting a positive example for others," said Asare.
As mentioned before, Asare is not just a Student Trustee. She is also a chapter president, works with PULSE for Student Government and has even studied at the Wenzhou campus in China. Asare keeps herself busy while at Kean University, and has plenty of advice for someone looking to follow in her footsteps to become a Student Trustee.
First, the requirements for becoming a Student Trustee require students to get 50 signatures from other Kean students. Applicants must also be full-time students with no history of misconduct, 18 years or older, an American citizen, have a 2.75 GPA and have completed at least 30 credits. If students meet these requirements and apply when the applications open on Cougar Link, they may then have a chance to become a Student Trustee. The student body also has a chance to involve themselves in the process by voting on candidates.
But, even after becoming a Student Trustee, Asare wants students to know that being a Student Trustee is more then just a job. It is about having passion for your work and your school that really makes it all worthwhile.
"You have to have a passion for Kean and really believe in the vision that Kean University has. You have to love what you do, and even though I just started, I am really trying to make student life a little better in the best way that I can," said Asare.
