By Murphy Obershaw, Copy Editor
Newman students stay pretty busy with classes and everything they are involved in, but Kayla Garvert takes it to the next level.
Many people see Garvert working in the Student Life Office as the office assistant. She primarily does marketing and communications for Student Life which includes making all of their graphics.
“I applied my freshman year for the Student Life Office assistant job [and] fell in love with it. I love the people here, so I’m staying. I love the work and everything,” Garvert said.
Garvert is also the Vice President of the Student Government Association.
She said that she desires to help the entire Newman community, but she goes the extra mile for freshmen. Being a T&T facilitator and First Year Experience leader allows her to spend time with freshmen and be a welcoming presence for them.
Garvert also participates in Campus Ministry events and has attended a couple of their service retreats. She lectors and is a greeter for Sunday masses in St. John’s Chapel.
Garvert said that one thing she loves to do is volunteer. Being a Cardinal Newman Scholar, she said, gives her the opportunity to spend 32 hours a semester serving others.
She has attended meetings for MCLO, theatre club, Love Your Melon, gardening club, and recycling club.
“I’m a member of a lot of clubs. Unfortunately, I’m not a super active member because I’m in so many,” Garvert said.
She is also a brand ambassador for the Newman Bookstore.
“I represent Newman by posting pictures of me in specific NU apparel from the bookstore. Anyone who mentions my name at checkout can receive 20% off the items I am wearing in my pictures,” she said.
Garvert does all of this on top of being an honors student and honors council member, being a double major in business data analytics and management information systems, and taking 16 credit hours not counting the classes she facilitates.
In the spring, she plans on starting an internship with the reacting consortium. She will be working with Reacting to the Past, the organization that Dr. Kelly McFall does his history through role play games through.
She has a lot packed into her schedule, but it doesn’t bother her. Her high school schedule was filled with just as many commitments. At this point, she is used to being so involved.
“It just kind of feels normal to me,” Garvert said.
Garvert said that keeping herself involved is a positive thing for her.
“It feels good because I like knowing that the things that I’m doing are helping people, and that is my ultimate goal...It does get a little overwhelming at times but again the reason why I do it keeps me in it...I love what I do. I really love what I do.”
Her schedule may be busy, but it is filled with doing what she loves.
Garvert still makes time to just hang out with her friends. Monday nights are reserved for spending time with her friends outside of Newman, and she usually spends time with her Newman friends at events on campus.
She is very involved on campus and people, like freshman Rebecca Ortiz, recognize her for that, but they say they also recognize her as an overall amazing and friendly person.
“Kayla is a very dedicated, hard working person. She is also friendly and outgoing. She made me feel very welcome when I first came to Newman, and we quickly became best friends. I don’t know what I would’ve done without her,” Ortiz said.
