Category Archives: Staff Spotlight

Meet the Spring 2023 University Housing Marketing Manager Intern – Gabrielle Krick

My name is Gabrielle Krick, and I am the marketing manager intern for University Housing & Conference Services during the Spring 2023 semester. This internship allowed me to gain valuable experiences in the behind-the-scenes of marketing and management at a university. I also learned an immense amount of information about what goes into making the residence halls as incredible as they are. I am extremely grateful for this experience and what it has done for my growth, both professionally and personally.

What did you learn about marketing and blogging?

I learned a lot more goes into marketing and blogging than what I previously realized. Originally, I thought that multiple posts could be completed within a day, but I very quickly realized a singular post could take days to actually curate, particularly if outside sources are being used to contribute to the post.

It is also a job that often has undetermined hours. There were days I was done with work by lunch time and others where I logged into our social media at 8 p.m. to work on posts. Monitoring social media is a very timely process that definitely has its sweet spots for ensuring an ample success rate.

Finally, I feel I really learned what exactly my voice is in the blogging realm. While there is a right and wrong way to blog, especially when you are the voice behind a university department, it is also important to differentiate yourself from every other blog by appropriately using your voice. This semester, I found my voice, and what I plan for it to be in the future.

What did you learn about yourself?

I learned I can handle a lot more than what I previously expected of myself.  While working 20 hours a week on this internship, I also had three courses I was taking, another part-time job, and two clubs that I am on the board for. In the beginning weeks of the semester, it was a lot. So much so, that I thought there was no way I could handle it all for the duration of a 15-week semester. I persevered though, nailed down my routine, and made it through my final semester as an undergraduate student. I learned I am capable of so much more than I give myself credit for.

What is your favorite blog post that you wrote?

My favorite blog post that I wrote is The Dos and Don’ts of Getting Involved in College. This was a really personal piece for me. The organizations I am apart of at Millersville University are truly what have gotten me through the past four years. Without these outlets, I do not know that I would have made it, and it was surreal getting to share those experiences through a blog post that I hope helped at least one student.

What was your most memorable project?

My most memorable project was more of a general experience that I got to participate in throughout the semester. I was able to work with an actual marketing team. It was incredibly exciting and rewarding getting to interact and collaborate with professionals in areas I hope to work full-time in after graduation. Also, witnessing them interacting, specifically on Microsoft Teams, was interesting. While it may have seemed insignificant to them, I was taking note each day of how my coworkers were operating successfully as a team, rather then just individuals.

What are your plans for the future?

I am currently planning to move to Philadelphia to pursue an undetermined role in marketing. I am excited to venture out of the small town I have spent most of my childhood in and be closer to family in the process.

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Gabrielle Krick is a senior Business Administration major with a concentration in Management and minor in Marketing at Millersville University. Her interests include human resources, social media marketing, and content marketing. When she graduates in May 2023, Gabby hopes to work for a large company’s human resources department, specifically representing minorities and the LGBTQ community. She hopes to either stay in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania area or move somewhere near Rehoboth, Delaware.  

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2021-2022 University Housing & Conference Services Resident Assistant Awards

On Friday, April 29, 2022, after a two year hiatus, the Department of University Housing & Conference Services celebrated student staff success during the annual department banquet. We are very proud to announce the winners of the various accolades our department awards to outstanding service to the department, the University, and our students.

Dr. Clyde S. and Pauline F. Stine Award

Jamie VanHorn

The Dr. Clyde S. and Pauline F. Stine Endowed Scholarship was seeded in 1988, by Drs. George and Helen Stine as a tribute to the memory of Dr. George Stine’s parents. Dr. Clyde Stine was a member of the Millersville University Administrative Faculty for many years. He provided administrative oversight for the residence hall program as the Dean of Men.

Dr. George Stine, Professor of Sociology, and a founding member of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, retired in 2003, after a distinguished 37 years at Millersville University.  Dr. Helen Stine retired in 2003, after many years as a Reading Specialist serving the School District of Lancaster.

It is our honor to be one of very few Student Affairs Departments recognized with an endowed scholarship. Drs. George and Helen Stine chose to recognize a Resident Assistant because Dr. Clyde Stine viewed the residence halls as an important experience in the life of a scholar, and realized that Resident Assistants provide a fundamental role in the transition from student to new professional.

The Stine Award is given annually to a continuing Resident Assistant member of the junior class. The successful applicant must have a record of demonstrated outstanding service and positive contributions to the Department of Housing and Residential Programs and the general campus community. Applications are reviewed and the recipient selected by members of the Housing and Residential Programs Department Administration. The recipient will receive a monetary scholarship applicable to the expenses of their senior year.

The 2021-22 award recipient is Jamie VanHorn, an Art Education major from Highspire, PA. She has been a Resident Assistant in West Village since August 2021. Jamie has shown great strengths in the areas of role modeling and professionalism in her position as a Resident Assistant. In West Village, Jamie has made it a goal to know as many residents as she can and knows their first names. Jamie does her best to provide fun programs for the residents and is always available to talk when someone needs help or advice. She is always level-headed and never lets someone’s negative attitude bring her own attitude down. When dealing with a difficult topic, Jamie is always positive and tries to help everyone focus on the goal and stay determined. Any time there is a challenging situation, Jamie is always willing to help and take the lead on resolving the situation.

Academically, Jamie excels at making sure she is doing her best to reach her graduation goals and success for after college. Outside of the Resident Assistant Position, Jamie has been involved in other activities around campus and the community. Jamie volunteers at the Loft and works with the MU Color of Teaching organization, who goal it is to support current MU students of color that are education majors by providing them leadership opportunities and a support group network. Jamie currently presents at the MU student art exhibits, which helps get more student active in the art community. From 2019- 2020, Jamie was also a member of the Millersville University Marching Band. Jamie is committed to being a positive influence for students and for trying to help others here at Millersville and the community at large.

EPPIIC Staff Member of the Year

The EPPIIC Staff Member awards recognize one new and one returning RA staff member that best exemplifies what it means to be EPPIIC.

Exploration:  

The resident assistant creates programs that engage residents.  The programs promote community and allow residents to expand their interests.   

Professionalism:  

The resident assistant is in good academic standing.  They are responsible and trustworthy.  They act as a role model to residents.  

Public Mission:  

The resident assistant is prepared to respond to issues in the halls.  They are cool and collect when incidents arise.     

Inclusion:  

The resident assistant promotes inclusion and equality.  They stand up for what is right and strive to create a welcoming community on their floor. They use their position to voice the concerns of residents to ensure the residents’ needs are met.    

Integrity:  

The resident assistant tries their best in the role.  They don’t complete tasks that are expected of them for the recognition.  They do the right thing because it is the right thing to do.  

Compassion:  

The resident assistant is available for their residents.  They make an effort in getting to know the interests of their residents and tries to implement said interests into programs and interactions with the residents.  When conversing with residents, the RA is empathetic and engaged in conversations.  They get to know their residents as individuals, not as another name on a door. 

Returning RA – Jimmeaha Mack (East Village)

Jimmeaha is a second-year resident assistant (RA), and the past two years have been filled with sunshine that Jimmeaha brings to the position. Jimmeaha serves as a role model for all residents throughout East Village and other RAs with whom she interacts.

New RA – Marissa Treibley (South Village)

Marissa has done a great job in her first year as an RA. She became a great mentor for her residents and created a welcoming environment for everyone on her floor. Marissa is a great communicator and handled many situations this semester with compassion ensuring all resident needs were met.

Program of the Year 
East Village – Jeopardy!

The program of the year for East Village was hosted by RA Jimmeaha Mack with the assistance of RA Evan Jones and was titled “Jeopardy!” This program took place in the Fall 2021 semester and was so popular that it attracted residents from East Village B as well. 

    • Jimmeaha Mack
    • Evan Jones
South Village – Puppy Play Session

The South Village program of the year was a puppy petting program put on by Jack, Ben, and Hunter. They brought in a couple service dogs in training for the residents to play and interact with. It was a great break for the residents and over 50 students attended.  

    • Ben Spangler
    • Jack Kopp
    • Hunter Ridge
Shenks/Reighard – Cupcake Decorating

The goal of this program was to provide students with a fun grab and go event where they could create their own items, while having fun interacting with the other students and staff involved.  This program let students’ express creativity and while students were allowed to just grab and go, many stayed to hang out and have fun.  Over 30 students stopped by the event and staff had a fun time getting to talk with their residents.  

    • Analise Fenwick
    • Victoria Wyszynski
    • Larry Jeter
    • Rosa Soriano Rosario
West Village – Acai Bowls : Part 2

The goal of this program was for students to learn social and emotional skills. Residents have been throughout a lot this semester and they need time to decompress and destress before finals.  The staff spent a lot of time buying the supplies and one staff member especially put a lot of working into prepping all the supplies needed for this event.  With over 100 students attending and almost all of them leaving with smiles, the goal of this program was met.  

    • Jaelinn Leftridge
    • Larry Jeter
    • Anthony Rodriguez
Spring 2022 RA Graduates

Congratulations to all of our 2022 Resident Assistant graduates!

Haley  Bucci  East Village  2 semesters (1 year) 
Chyna  Gubbings  East Village  4 semesters (2 years) 
Evan  Jones  East Village  5 semesters (2.5 years)  
Siaka  Kosha  East Village  6 semesters (3 years) 
Jimmeaha  Mack    East Village  4 semesters (2 years) 
Grace  Howell  Shenks  6 semesters (3 years) 
Sam  Mackey  Shenks  6 semesters (3 years) 
Niema  Abdullah  South Village  6 semester (3 Years) 
Amanda  DiPaula  South Village  6 semesters (3 Years) 
Andy  Hoffman  South Village  2 semesters (1 Year) 
Jack   Kopp  South Village  6 semesters (3 Years) 
CJ   Longo  South Village  4 semesters (2 Years) 
Ryan  Martin  South Village  6 semesters (3 Years) 
Jenna  Masenheimer  South Village  6 semesters (3 Years) 
Hunter  Ridge  South Village  2 semesters (1 Year)
Benjamin  Spangler  South Village  6 semesters (3 Years) 
Logan  Vandeweghe  South Village  4 semesters (2 Years)
Trinity  Young  South Village  4 semesters (2 Years) 
Olivia  Bernardini  West Village  2 semesters (1 year) 
Congratulations to all of our award winners! Thank you for all you do and keep up the amazing work!

Meet the 2020-2021 University Housing Marketing Intern – Lydia Shaloka

My name is Lydia Shaloka, and I was the marketing intern for University Housing & Conference Services from May 2020 to May 2021. Being the marketing intern helped me learn more about the department and all of the work that goes into making the residence halls as incredible as they are. I gained valuable experience creating marketing content, analyzing marketing data, and working with others from my department, outside of my department, and even outside of MU. I am so grateful for this experience and believe it has helped me grow both professionally and personally.

What did you learn about marketing and blogging?

This internship provided me with the opportunity to apply what I was learning in my marketing courses in real-world scenarios and gain a lot of new knowledge about marketing as well. I learned much more about how to use social media sites like Instagram and Twitter for marketing purposes. Additionally, I gained valuable experience using Google Analytics to analyze marketing data and understand how it can be used to improve the effectiveness of our marketing efforts. I also learned how important effective marketing is, particularly in the higher education field.

The changes and challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic meant the University Housing department needed to be able to quickly communicate important information to both current and incoming students and their parents. I learned how to communicate this information by creating quality content that delivered a consistent message across all platforms. Housing’s marketing efforts have helped keep the Millersville University community safe throughout this pandemic, and I was honored to be a part of those efforts.

Prior to this internship, I had very little blogging experience. I learned so much about how to create quality blog posts and how to maintain a WordPress blog site. I also learned that blogs can be a very beneficial marketing tool.

What did you learn about yourself?

I learned that I really enjoy graphic design! I created graphics for our social media sites and the blog using Canva, a graphic design software. I also designed flyers that were hung in the residence halls and small cards that were distributed to students. I really enjoyed getting the chance to be creative and coming up with concepts for different marketing materials.

What is your favorite blog post that you wrote?

I liked writing blog posts that were creative and entertaining to read but that were also informative. One of my favorites is The ABC’s of Millersville University.  I went through the alphabet and wrote something about Millersville that started with each letter. Finding something for X and Z were tricky but I made it work! I also really liked writing the post, True or False: How Much Do You Know About Millersville’s History? I liked writing this post because I learned some fun facts about Millersville in the process.

I also liked one of my more informative posts, Should You Declare a Minor? I felt like this post contained useful information and doing research for it also helped me when I was deciding whether or not I should declare a minor. Another informative post I really enjoyed writing was What I Wish I Knew My Freshman Year. This post gave me the chance to reflect on my freshman year at Millersville and hopefully help other incoming freshman know what to expect.

What was your most memorable project?

My most memorable project was coming up with various events to hold in anticipation of room selection. We hosted Among Us games, Bingo, Jeopardy, and more. We gave away various prizes to students who participated in the events. I enjoyed this project because I got to collaborate with some amazing members of the Housing team for it and saw firsthand how we were able to host engaging and fun events virtually. Plus, who doesn’t love giveaways?

What are your plans for the future?

I am going to be working as a Marketing Specialist for Freedom Mortgage. I hope to continuing blogging on my personal blog site and mainly write about the things I’m passionate about, such as marketing and food.

University Housing and Conference Services Staff Spotlight: Gabby Vaxmonsky

Millersville’s Department of University Housing and Conference Services is proud to showcase our staff and all of the incredible work they do to make the residence halls at Millersville safe and a great environment for students to live and learn in. This week’s staff spotlight pick is graduate assistant Gabby Vaxmonsky. Continue reading to learn more about Gabby, what she loves about being a graduate assistant in South Village, and her advice to students.

Q: What made you want to become a Graduate Assistant (GA)?

Gabby: I’m originally from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area of PA so coming to grad school, I knew no one and I wanted a way to not only feel more connected to the University but also build stronger connections to fellow students. I felt becoming a GA would provide that opportunity and what better way than working with a team of students and professional staff members like that in Housing!

Q: What has been the most rewarding part of being a GA?

Gabby: By far the most rewarding part has been building connections and friendships with my fellow team members in South Village. Especially this past year, I think we have all been able to lean on and support each other through these challenging times. Building those connections and being able to learn and grow together has been both rewarding and also something I am extremely grateful for.

Q: How have you been handling everything caused by COVID-19?

Gabby: I have been leaning on my friends and family, but also my teammates in Housing. We are working in-person within the safety guidelines of COVID-19 so having others around that know what that is like can be beneficial if you need someone to talk too. I have also been remembering to be kind to myself and give myself/others grace when it comes to certain things. I keep myself accountable but also don’t beat myself up if I don’t get to something in a day. It is important to remember that we are all just doing the best we can with what we have.

Q: Do you have any tips for succeeding academically given the various changes?

Gabby: Most important is your mental health. If you aren’t taking care of that, and your basic needs, you won’t be able to be successful academically. Reach out early if you know you are starting to struggle and communicate that with your professors. They are more likely to be able to help if they know of concerns sooner rather than later. Also, even though the University is predominately virtual, there are still a wealth of academic and mental health resources available. As a plug for our amazing RA’s, they can connect you with any number of those resources.

Q: Why should students consider working as a Resident Assistant (RA) or GA in the residence halls?

Gabby: You will gain a rewarding experience and long-lasting relationships that will follow you into your career. Coming into Housing I wasn’t sure what to expect because it’s a new experience for me. I am constantly surprised with how much I learn with my GA that transfers over to my area of study, School Psychology. Additionally, you will gain and develop valuable skills that carry over into any career path, such as leadership, flexibility, responsibility, and time-management.

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Lydia Shaloka is a senior Business Administration major with a concentration in Marketing at Millersville University. Her interests include digital marketing, content marketing, and social media marketing.  When she graduates in May 2021, Lydia hopes to work for a digital marketing agency either in or near her hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania or in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. 

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Housing & Residential Programs Staff Spotlight: Hannah Stoner

Millersville’s Housing and Residential Programs is proud to showcase our staff and all of the incredible work they do to make the residence halls at Millersville safe and a great environment for students to live and learn in. This week’s staff spotlight pick is graduate assistant Hannah Stoner. Continue reading to learn more about Hannah, her tips for managing schoolwork, and what led her to become a graduate assistant!

What made you want to become a Graduate Assistant (GA)?

Hannah: I wanted to become a GA because I love working with students and want to do anything I can to allow them to feel at home here at Millersville!

What has been the most rewarding part of being a GA?

Hannah: The most rewarding part of being a GA has been building a close-knit family with my Desk Attendant and Resident Assistant staff.

How have you been handling everything caused by COVID-19?

Hannah: This is a chaotic and difficult time in the world, but I am hanging in there and doing what I can to stay safe during COVID-19. I have been spending my time cooking, playing Animal Crossing on my Nintendo Switch, and hiking during quarantine!

Do you have any tips for succeeding academically given the various changes?

Hannah: I know that it can be hard to focus on schoolwork when there is so much uncertainty in our country right now. I would recommend putting aside time to study and do homework away from distractions. Make sure that you are taking breaks and spending time outside or being active!

Do you have any advice for residents regarding how to keep themselves and others safe from COVID-19 this fall?

Hannah: Remember to wear your mask and continue to social distance in order to keep yourself and others safe!

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Housing & Residential Programs Staff Spotlight: Will Halko

Millersville’s Housing and Residential Programs is proud to showcase our staff and all of the incredible work they do to make the residence halls at Millersville safe and a great environment for students to live and learn in. This week’s staff spotlight pick is graduate assistant Will Halko. Continue reading to learn more about Will, what he loves about being a graduate assistant of west village, and his advice for students.

What made you want to become a Graduate Assistant (GA)?

Will: Honestly, the fact that it seemed so out of my realm! My whole life I had worked with children, behavior, and psychology – after a few years of doing that I realized I wanted a complete change-up, so I applied to work in housing. My goal in any job is to make people’s lives a little better in any way I can, and it makes me happy that I get to do that in the residence halls. If the people around me feel supported, then I’m doing my job.

What has been the most rewarding part of being a GA?

Will: That’s a tough question because there really is a lot. Overall, I’d say my favorite part of the experience is getting to learn and grow alongside my co-workers. I’ve learned so much from the great people that I work with and I think we have a really great network of support for each other. I love when my coworkers and I can guide each other through new or difficult situations. Everyone is so eager to lend a hand and it’s really refreshing!

How have you been handling everything caused by COVID-19?

Will: Day by day. A lot of things nowadays seem pretty far out of our hands, which can be overwhelming. Right now I’m staying grounded by leaning into things that I have control over and showing gratitude whenever it’s possible. My two friends and I have been watching horror movies outside on Friday nights or taking morning hikes on weekends. So staying social when it’s possible has been super important to me, I just usually have to improvise.

Do you have any tips for succeeding academically given the various changes?

Will: I think staying confident and motivated are the most challenging but useful things you can do right now. Confidence and motivation go hand in hand sometimes. Like, if you think that your effort isn’t going to pay off, it’s way more tempting to accept defeat. Be forgiving to yourself, but know that you are smart and capable – pandemic or no pandemic.

Do you have any advice for residents regarding how to keep themselves and others safe from COVID-19 this Fall?

Will: Do the easy stuff right: wash your hands, cover your mouth, you know! Are you going to stop every cause of COVID-19 by doing these things? Probably not! But if you keep a person or two from getting sick, missing school, or generally stressing out – then wasn’t the small effort worth it? Also, mental health care is always important, but especially right now. Show yourself and your neighbors a little extra love during these times, we all can use it.

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