We are always meeting student leaders who are going the extra mile to make others feel welcome and build community culture on their campuses. We realized that one great way to learn from each other is to spotlight different students who have made an impact on the lives of their fellow students.
Meet Morgan Petersen, a student at Louisiana State University. She’s an English major, a Resident Assistant and an LSU Ambassador on campus. We asked her about the things she loves on campus and how she gets others involved.
What’s your favorite campus tradition?
“Standing in Death Valley and doing the first cheer in the stadium for the first time that football season; the energy is practically alive in the stadium and even if you aren’t the most die hard LSU football fan, it’s completely infectious.”
What was the first moment you felt you belonged at your school?
“Before school started my freshman year, I attended a session during the summer called STRIPES where they bring some freshman together to learn the LSU cheers, traditions, and everything else that revolves around LSU. They help you get used to the campus, and in the long run it made me feel more at home. I feel like that was the first time I felt like I belonged here. I was amongst other students who were just as excited as I was, and they were so eager to get started on their careers.”
Have you ever helped someone go from neutral to more engaged?
“In my previous year as an RA, I had a handful of students who were pretty disengaged, but I feel like I was able to break down their defensive barrier a little by just being genuine and helpful to them. When I was a freshman, I did have an X+1 moment, though. My RA was amazing, she was so nice and helpful and honestly wanted to become friends with me. Granted, I am not the hardest person to become friends with because I am usually pretty easy to talk to, but she put 110% into her job. She encouraged me to get involved on campus and “find my niche”. Now I’m heavily involved in three different organizations on campus and I love it. Getting involved helped me to feel more like I was a part of campus and that I would leave my mark on LSU.“
It’s awesome to have traditions that encourage you to bond with other students. Does your school have events like Morgan’s?
