Behind the Scenes with the STORP Publicist: The Benefits of a Small University
SEATTLE – For junior Katie Hill, being at a small university is a big perk. As this year’s STORP publicist, she feels that the events that she and the rest of the STORP team coordinate are much more intentional and personal than events at a larger school could ever be. She gives an example, “We are always sure to have a craft at every event for accessibility reasons, like if it’s a dance and not everybody can dance, we’ve got something else for them to do.”
As the publicist, Katie’s duties include creating posters and media, such as advertising for upcoming events on the STORP Instagram, organizing events, and of course, attending said events. One of her favorite parts of the job is creating these experiences for students. “You’re building a space for community since it is a smaller grouping of people as opposed to other colleges” she says. The smaller campus community also lends its beauty to the STORP team itself, which consists of six members total: three programmers including Katie, two coordinators, and one faculty advisor. She says, “I think we all have different interests and personalities so we’re able to represent different aspects of the student body — we’ve got more outdoorsy people and more artsy people, and it’s easy to come to a consensus, but we’re still able to get all these perspectives.”
On a more personal note, Katie reflects on her year on the STORP team, as she won’t be returning next year, in order to begin her student teaching placement. Next year’s team, she shared, will be made up of almost all new people. “It was really fun to be part of this community. I’m excited to see what the team does next year, what events they come up with, and I will be going to them and representing and supporting even though I’m not on the team anymore” she says. Katie encourages fellow students to attend on-campus events, saying “it’s a good way to make friends, especially for newer students.” At small universities such as SPU, genuine connections are in no short supply.
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