My Job at the Office of Campus Life

By: Solveig van der Vegt '18

I got my job at the Office of Campus Life through an email that was sent out to Balch Hall residents last year. There are many places to get jobs around campus, but this one particularly interested me because it was in the building that I already lived in. I applied and luckily got the job and it has been fantastic ever since! I work not only with fellow students but also with people from outside the university. It is refreshing now and then to talk to people who look at Cornell in a different way and who have a broader perspective on the local community.

The job I have is very relaxed and fun. We have a small office in South Balch Hall where we greet visitors and direct people who come to the building for meetings. Besides that, I pick up the phone and either answer people’s questions or if I cannot, I transfer them to a department that can. I also assist other offices in Balch with administrative tasks like filing if necessary. When the office isn’t busy, I’m allowed to do my homework while I am on my shift, which is really nice. I like this job a lot because it allows me to interact with a broad range of people – students, parents, and Cornell staff. The people I work with genuinely care about me and I about them, so it is a wonderful community to be a part of. One of my colleagues sometimes buys me or the other student workers a cookie if we have the final shift of the day, which is always a great surprise and a good note to end the day on! Overall, my job on campus has given me a different positive perspective on the Cornell community. I enjoy going to work and the money I earn is a good source of income to use to go out to dinner with friends or go to events on campus or even just to treat myself now and then.