SU SPOTLIGHT
This fall, Nutmeg Publishing interviewed Katie Nguyen, a fifth-semester UConn student who works for the information desk in the Student Union. Nguyen is majoring in speech, language, and hearing sciences and human development and family studies.
Nutmeg Publishing: How long have you worked at the Union?
Katie Nguyen: I’ve worked at Union for three years now, including COVID.
NP: What was it like to work at the Union during the pandemic?
KN: It definitely was an adjustment. [We had] to accommodate a much smaller student body. As a staff, we had to figure out how to keep ourselves safe and our community safe, and on top of that, we still wanted to provide as many events for students as we could. For a lot of people working at the U, there was a lot of leaning on each other for teamwork when one person was sick or there was an outbreak. So [the Student Union] was just a really good place to know that people had your back.
NP: So, you’re still connected to the whole Student Union staff, even though you only work in one part of it?
KN: Yeah. We all kind of work together as one big unit, and we’re always calling different departments for help.
NP: What’s something a lot of people don’t know about what goes on behind the scenes at the Union?
KN: I would say that a lot of people don’t know how many different departments work together to ensure that an event runs smoothly. Normally people only see the event services part — when they register for the event — but there’s so much that goes on. There’s a setup crew, there’s AV tech, there’s all the people who do technical support for the events, people like me at info who are there to answer questions...so I think people don’t really know how involved we all are in ensuring that an event runs smoothly. We care so much about the service that we give to our customers, and we want to make sure that there are ample resources for them during an event.
NP: What do you do aside from working at the Union?
KN: I do a lot. I’m in HuskyThon, I’m in NSSLHA — National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association — the UConn Kids Internship, and next semester I’m in research for HDFS. And I work 15 hours a week, so it’s a good balance of always being busy.
KN: Yeah. We all kind of work together as one big unit, and we’re always calling different departments for help.
NP: What’s something a lot of people don’t know about what goes on behind the scenes at the Union?
KN: I would say that a lot of people don’t know how many different departments work together to ensure that an event runs smoothly. Normally people only see the event services part — when they register for the event — but there’s so much that goes on. There’s a setup crew, there’s AV tech, there’s all the people who do technical support for the events, people like me at info who are there to answer questions...so I think people don’t really know how involved we all are in ensuring that an event runs smoothly. We care so much about the service that we give to our customers, and we want to make sure that there are ample resources for them during an event.
NP: What do you do aside from working at the Union?
KN: I do a lot. I’m in HuskyThon, I’m in NSSLHA — National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association — the UConn Kids Internship, and next semester I’m in research for HDFS. And I work 15 hours a week, so it’s a good balance of always being busy.
Photos by Chloe Parsell Written by Mary Lasley
NY: What’s the most interesting thing about your job?
KN: I think the most interesting thing about my job is meeting all the different people at UConn. I think it’s super cool — like, on the first day of school, I usually get tons of questions. I get [asked,] “Where is this class?” “What can I eat today?” “Where can I get my OneCard?” So it’s just really cool to see the different stages of life that everyone’s in. Sometimes I get freshmen, and sometimes I get seniors who are like, “It’s my last day here, what should I do?”
NP: What would you recommend for a senior on their last day?
KN: I don’t know! Walk on the seal, I guess?
NP: Overall, do you think working at the Union has been a valuable experience?
KN: One hundred percent. I think working at the U has been the best part of my time here at UConn. I’ve met so many great friends through it, and I think it’s such a great way to connect to other people. It allows me to see events and activities going on that I normally wouldn’t get to see — it kind of just lets me see UConn in a different perspective. I think the most valuable thing that I’ve gotten out of it is the people that I’ve met, the connections I’ve made.
*This interview has been edited for clarity.