Maintaining a position as a student trustee comes with a lot of responsibility. You must be a full-time student with a 2.5 cumulative GPA, just to name a few. But junior physics major, Laura Ordaz, 20, said she was up for the challenge.
Ordaz, who was named SRU’s newest student trustee member, said several components have led her to the position.
“I was involved in SGA and I also went on a leadership trip to the Czech Republic with the office of Student Affairs,” she said. “Dr. Foley, who was the Vice President of Student Affairs then, attended the trip and I talked to me a lot about the position.”
Ordaz’s involvement in SGA continued her want for more involvement on campus. As she’s entered into her second year of being a member of SGA, she believes the experience she’s gained from working with student government is truly what made her want to become a student trustee member.
“I love hearing what the students have to say during the SGA meetings and then I take that information to the student trustees,” she said. “I also represent Building D as a CA on the third floor, west side. I just really like working with people and getting information from people that will help make a better community on the floor.”
Ordaz smiled saying that she loved the student trustee position and is grateful for the opportunity.
“I love the position. I love the other trustees that I’m working with. I work closely with Dr. Watson, who is the new Vice President of Student Affairs and I work closely with Dr. Norton.”
Ordaz also expressed that Watson and Norton were really inspiring to her. She explained that talking with Norton usually resulted in stories about running, taking a crazy adventure, or meeting someone new.
Foley and Norton were Ordaz’s role models when it came to her student trustee position. Ordaz said she thought they were both fantastic people to work with.
“I knew I would be working with Dr. Norton because I interviewed with her. She tells me all these amazing things that she’s done in her life and she’s just someone who you want to be,” she said. “I mean, if these people are encouraging you and want you to be a student trustee, you definitely know that it is a very good position and something that will be beneficial to you as a person and a student, not just in the classroom or in your personal life, but also in a professional environment.”
According to Ordaz, there are a great amount of advantages that come along with her position that has posed as very beneficial to her.
“One of the perks that came along with position is gaining interpersonal skills and definitely overcoming being shy. I was definitely shy, but with this position, it pushes me more to get out there and talk to people. It breaks down the boundaries.”
Ordaz said that her job helps her to improve on speaking with adults, which doesn’t sound hard she added, but she noted that two students conversing is completely different than talking with an employer.
Being a student trustee isn’t serious work all the time, Ordaz said. There are a lot of fun things that come along with this position, for instance, Ordaz said the thing she enjoyed doing the most has been visiting Dr. Norton’s house.
“We had orientation for the new trustees over the summer and we got to have a luncheon at her house. It was supposed to be a picnic, but when I think of a picnic I think of PB&J, watermelon, sitting outside and iced tea,” she said.”When we went in there, we had glass cups for our drinks. We didn’t have picnic-picnic food like I was thinking, but I enjoyed it.”
Being a student trustee has taught Ordaz several things, she said, such as how to control her moods. For example, some topics discussed at meetings can become very touchy, like the budget cuts.
Though Ordaz said she has also learned how to use better grammar and since developed a greater value of communication.
“Something I’ve learned is if you have the opportunity to speak up and voice your opinion,” she said. “It is important to do so when you have time. Face-to-face communication is always the best way to get your point across.”
