College of Arts and Humanities

Leadership in the College of Arts and Humanities

CAH Graduates Exude Leadership

Jasmine graduated in 2022 with a degree in Communication. After graduating, they accepted a job in the Wellness Center as Health Promotion Coordinator for Mental Health, a role that uniquely uses the leadership qualities they learned as a Wildcat. In their current role, they are able to expand and build on their leadership qualities through leading student employees, coordinating and executing programs and initiatives, and leading conversations on campus and government policies surrounding mental health.

CWU has provided Jasmine with many rich opportunities for leadership throughout their time as a student. From leading class projects to being the president of a club, CWU has plenty to offer to students who are looking for these opportunities. The possibilities given to Jasmine and students alike give them the confidence to excel in the workplace by knowing when to delegate when to admit you don’t know something and how to properly lead a project.

Jasmine believes that a good leader is empathetic, curious, and accountable. They believe that a leader needs to be able to be understanding of their team and knowing that their team is more than their job/assignment and to work with them through difficult times. They believe a good leader is always curious and ready to learn more so that they may make better decisions and keep their team better informed, asking the “why” before the “how”. A leader also holds themselves accountable and admit to when they have done something wrong or don’t have an answer, which can help to build trust in a team. If Jasmine was to give advice to current students looking to pursue leadership, it’s to trust your team and delegate, as well as treating yourself with kindness as you navigate leadership.

CAH Majors Employ Their Abilities

By Angelina Valdez

Student employment is a vital and thriving part of our lives here at CWU - they make our coffee, they cook our food, they stock our Red Bulls in the c-store. But while these lines of employment are all appreciated and important, there are hundreds of other opportunities for students who want something more customized and tailored to their academic and career-based interests. Many departments across campus hire student employees to take on a diverse pool of positions, many in the realm of arts and humanities.

The Center for Leadership and Community Engagement is one example of a department on campus that hires students for their arts and humanities abilities and interests into positions where they can allow their creative abilities do the job for them. One of these positions is for a student graphic designer. The student in this position would be in charge of making quarterly and event-based handbills, booklets, posters, and logos for the center. These range from making posters for events such as the Nelson Mandela tribute or the Yakima River Cleanup, to making designs for buttons to be handed out for Random Acts of Kindness week, to making quarterly informational booklets about the CLCE and all of the amazing programs being held that quarter, and so much more. The student that is put in charge of this position is also provided with individual resources such as a Mac desktop with multiple design software’s installed. Another position through the CLCE is for a student writer and social media coordinator. This student is in charge of taking pictures and videos at various events and maintaining a social media presence for the center. This student employee is provided with a Mac desktop as well, along with a professional camera and video camera. These two often work collaboratively on projects such as the quarterly booklet and informational posters. Both of the current students in these positions are part of the College of Arts and Humanities.

Another example of a department that is very student based is Hype. The basis of Hype is run by students who use their artistic and creative abilities to the students of Central. Hype is a program through the Publicity Center that is based around the purpose of getting the word out to the students about a variety of events happening for students weekly and quarterly. They make weekly posters with events happening that week, they show up to student events to post of social media about what is happening at the event, and they do weekly segments on the 88.1 the ‘Burg radio station about the weekly lineup of events. The people that run Hype are all student employees who use their creative abilities like graphic design, writing, communication, and many other skills into their line of work. They hire a team of students who have a wide variety of skills, abilities, all of which are found within the College of Arts and Humanities.

These positions are a great start to the professional career field and show just how needed College of Arts and Humanities students are within a diverse set of departments and areas. These are also amazing opportunities to build your resume and have experience within your area of interest before you even graduate. During spring quarter, make sure to be on the lookout for the numerous student employment opportunities within the departments across campus. Your willingness to branch out and find positions that apply to your field could lead to the undergraduate experience that you need to put yourself one step ahead of the rest when it comes to career opportunities in your field after graduation.