Class of 2023, Psychology with a concentration in Mental Health Services, minor in Public Health
Hometown | Shrewsbury, MA
Campus Involvement | Student Senate, Women’s Cross Country Team, Women’s Track Team, 2023 Class Committee, Resident Assistant, Circles of Leadership, Orientation Leader

Erica Hanlon, SGA President

Can you describe the role of the SGA President? What do they do for the student body
The SGA President collaborates with the student senate and the rest of the student body to represent our student population and advocate for student needs. The SGA President attends various meetings with administration, alumni, and students to be a voice for the student body.

What are some of the goals you hope to accomplish while in this position?
One of my goals is to add a new aspect to the student senate in which each senator will have a focus group on campus to receive feedback from and offer support to. Another goal I have is to increase community outreach through creating opportunities for students to donate to and support the greater Worcester area. Overall, I aim to be an approachable and helpful person for all WSU students.

What do you foresee as some of the challenges you could face in this position?
A challenge I foresee in this position is not being able to please everyone, as there will be many different opinions among our student body, and I will need to do my best to represent as many students as possible as well as my own beliefs.

At the end of the year, looking back, what do you hope your fellow students remember about you?
At the end of the year, I hope my fellow students will remember me as someone who was genuine, welcoming, helpful, and action-oriented.

What advice would you give to students who are just beginning to explore the type of leader, or the type of person, they hope to become?
My key piece of advice is to push yourself to follow what interests you regardless of anyone else’s opinion. If you are thinking about trying something new or stepping up to be in a leadership position, just try for it! No one is judging you and any endeavor for your own personal growth is well worth any potential nerves.

What are your current plans for the next few years?
After graduation, I hope to work as a Resident Director at a university while taking graduate classes for my Master’s in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. I also hope to adopt a dog and travel

The post Meet Erica Hanlon, SGA President appeared first on Campus Life.

How do you think you’ve changed as a leader throughout your time at WSU, and what aspects of your experience most influenced this change?

“I think the biggest change I’ve had as a leader was learning more about what being a leader means and the thought and care that goes into that. Going to events like the Leadership Symposium really helped me recognize that there were so many things to learn and improve upon in my role as a leader and that applying the things you learn takes patience, practice, trial and error and commitment to see that change really take place.”

What is the biggest lesson you learned when it comes to leadership?

“The biggest lesson I learned with leadership is that a good leader really isn’t someone who directs other people to do something – I learned that a good leader is someone who instead empowers others to be able to do the things they want to.”

What is your definition of a great leader?

“A great leader is someone who is themselves and inspires others to be themselves too, united in a common goal of some kind, pushing each other to be the best they can be along the way.”

What do you feel is one of the biggest misconceptions of what makes a good leader?

“I feel as though one of the biggest misconceptions of what makes a good leader is probably prior experience. I think a lot of people assume that leaders on campus just have always been so good at what they do and I think it’s important to realize that everybody starts out at square one! Anybody can be a leader if they put their mind to it.”

What would you say was your best experience here at WSU?

“There are too many to count – Many great experiences with friends in Dowden hall, going to Root & Press with friends, going to various events on campus, running at Regionals with the XC team, Fresh Check Day, Campus Clean Up day, CLEWS events, my classes – honestly all these things pale in comparison to a meal at the Pod with my friends though.”��

What was your most meaningful experience while at WSU?

“It’s tough to pick my most meaningful experience at WSU – I’ve certainly had many opportunities to be around people that helped me learn a lot about the world – I’d say that my most meaningful experiences had to be interacting with the men from the Hector Reyes house through the events I did with the CLEWS organization. Hector Reyes house is a rehab home of sorts for men who are recovering addicts. A good portion of these men were previously incarcerated as well. Hearing these men tell their stories and interacting with some of them just really made a big impact on me. Additionally, there was a CLEWS speaker who was a former prostitute who spoke about her struggles and trauma that also was extremely eye-opening to me. Lastly, TWA’s Poetry Slam last spring was also a very meaningful experience to be an observer for.”

What are your current plans for the next few years?

“After undergrad, I’ll probably take a year or so off from school to get a full-time job in the mental health/social work field, and then maybe go to graduate school for school psychology at WSU, or other Masters’ programs like a masters in social work or maybe even social psychology. That’s the plan anyways, maybe I’ll try to do some sort of small travel trip too.”

What advice would you give to students who are just beginning to explore the type of leader, or the type of person, they hope to become?

“I would say that even if trying to figure out who you are or who you want to be seems like a daunting or intimidating task at first, remember to have patience and not to put too much pressure on yourself! I would say just be yourself and focus on trying to do your best at whatever it is you want to do.”��

We want to thank Ben for taking the time to answer our questions!
Interview written by Kristie McNamara, Director, Office of Student Involvement & Leadership Development.

The post Student Spotlight | Ben Morin appeared first on Campus Life.

Written by Jess Evora, Assistant Director, OSILD
Photos provided by E. Soltano

When I walked into the Psychology Department here at 91��ý (WSU) on a beautiful Thursday afternoon, I was greeted by the vibrant, upbeat Dr. Emily Soltano, a WSU professor who is warmly regarded by both students and colleagues alike.

Dr. Soltano has been teaching at Worcester State since 1999.�� As she approaches 20 years of service on our campus, she happily took some time out of her day to share with us a few life lessons she has learned (and continues to learn) during her time here at WSU.

LESSON #1: Be the leader that you were meant to be, not the leader someone else wants you to be.

Dr. Soltano describes her leadership style as the more low-key leader. She emphasizes that she is a confident leader, but it took years of experience and of accepting who she is in order to gain that confidence.

“I’m not the aggressive, in-your-face type of leader. I’m not the leader who needs to be the face of the project. I’d rather be behind the scenes getting my things done,” Dr. Soltano said. “And I think what’s changed since I first started here years ago is that I’m now comfortable with being this type of leader.” Dr. Soltano explained that only through experience was she able to learn to be comfortable with not trying to be a specific type of leader, and to just to be true to herself.

Dr. Soltano shared that she grew up as the youngest of 3 siblings who all are very different in how they approach matters. She said that with this experience, she has come to realize that it is okay to be her own person.

“Don’t be somebody else,” Dr. Soltano said. “Make sure that it is your thoughts, and not what somebody else told you to say or do, because there is no ‘right way’”.

LESSON #2: Surround yourself with a diverse group of people.��

Dr. Soltano grew up in a Jewish household.�� Her neighborhood in Brooklyn was majority Catholic, but was ethnically diverse.

“Growing up as a Jewish girl in a Catholic neighborhood, it was hard at times because I felt that no one else was like me,” Dr. Soltano said. “My family celebrated Jewish holidays. During Passover, when I was at school with my matza and egg salad, people would look at me, asking me, ‘Why are you eating��that?’�ĝ

Despite those few incidents of feeling isolated, Dr. Soltano feels she benefited tremendously from growing up in a diverse neighborhood.�� She thought back to one of her childhood neighbors who she affectionately called “Titi Iris” (“Titi” is a word for “Auntie” in Spanish).�� Titi Iris was Puerto Rican, and exposed Dr. Soltano to a culture outside her own. Dr. Soltano believes this exposure had a lasting impact on her.

“I’ve learned to be kind to people,” Dr. Soltano said. “I don’t know if I always succeed, but I always try. I don’t always assume the worst.�� Be empathetic.”

LESSON #3: Learn to be comfortable with knowing that you won’t always have the answers.

“I don’t react to matters immediately. I try to be thoughtful,” Dr. Soltano said. “I support the person who I’m interacting with by saying, ‘I acknowledge it. I hear you. Let me think about,’” Dr. Soltano said.�� “And I��will��think about it. I’ll process it and then I’ll get back to the person as soon as possible.”

“I know I don’t always know the answer, and I’m okay with that,” Dr. Soltano said.�� “If I’m not sure what the right response should be, I might talk to my colleagues both within the institution and outside of Worcester State.�� I might talk to my friends and family to get their perspective on things.”

LESSON #4: Try to keep an open mind. ��

It takes time, experience and intention to learn this particular lesson. However, over the years, Dr. Soltano has learned not to assume the motivations of others. “We may see someone’s behavior, but we’re not mind-readers,” Dr. Soltano said.�� “Even here in the Psychology Department, we are not mind-readers.”

“Often when someone does something, I think of several reasons why they may have done it, but in reality it’s sometimes something that I would never have realized. I take the time to ask more questions, and actually talk to the person about what they are going through,” Dr. Soltano said.

LESSON #5: Remember the bigger picture.��

Among her many contributions to WSU, Dr. Soltano served for 4 years as Chair of the Psychology Department.�� She learned during her four years as Department Chair the importance of taking a step back to understand how your individual work fits into the goals of the larger community.

“As a faculty member, I think academics are ‘It’, but realistically I know that it’s not,” Dr. Soltano said. “I now have a family, and I have my own kids.�� I’ve come to realize that it’s not just my view of the world, sitting in my office, teaching my classes, and doing my committee work.�� Being a department chair for 4 years gave me the perspective of the bigger picture.” This is a lesson for which Dr. Soltano is extremely grateful.

Professor Soltano has dedicated much of her time to engaging with students as an advisor on many student trips throughout the years.�� This has helped her to better understand the importance of the learning that goes on outside the class.

“I’m so glad that I have a relationship with Kristie [Director of the Office of Student Involvement],” Dr. Soltano said. “Getting involved as an advisor on these trips allowed me to understand that we are all here for the students. ��Both staff and faculty play an important role in the bigger picture.”

Thank you Dr. Soltano for your years of work within the 91��ý community. Thank��you for reminding us that, although we should always continue to challenge ourselves and grow as leaders, we should not do so at the expense of staying true to who we really are.

And with that, to our Worcester State Lancers: Keep reaching for the stars. Remember that you have a support system in the faculty and staff. And lastly, remember that although advice from others is extremely valuable, only you know how to become the best version of yourself.

We here in the Office of Student Involvement look forward to watching and supporting you as you take that journey. Go Lancers!

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