Since the start of her freshman year, Jacqi Lewis ’18 has been a natural student-leader on campus. From her job as a Visit Intern at the Admissions Office, which she’s held for three years, to her position as captain of the women’s tennis team, to her role as a member of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC), Lewis has grown into her leadership strengths.
Lewis applied for the Visit Intern position during her first year at Houghton. After three years, she still holds the same passion and appreciation for the job. “I make a lot of schedules and call a lot of students. We also contact a lot of professors to coordinate when they can meet with visiting students and if they can go to classes,” she said. “I love the people I work with. Everyone in admissions is so fun and it’s a really laid-back environment.” Lewis has found that working in the admissions office has grown her confidence in sending emails, talking on the phone, and managing conflict.
In addition to this position, Lewis served as captain of the women’s tennis team this past season. She was responsible for coordinating team bonding activities and being a representative voice for the team.
Lewis was nominated by her team to sit on the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC), a nationally organized group that meets “to provide insight on the student-athlete experience and offer input on the rules, regulations and policies that affect student-athletes’ lives on campus.”
“Every school with an athletic program has a SAAC,” Lewis explained. “It’s basically leaders from each team that are on it, and they do a lot of different things like fundraising and special Olympics, but it’s also the group that discusses current issues on sports teams and how we can make them better.”
In these meetings, the committee discusses a range of issues that student-athletes encounter and works towards a collaborative solution. “SAAC is anything that happens with students and athletics,” Lewis said, adding that the committee later gives “an overview of what’s going on the Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics (CIA).” Lewis was further nominated to join the CIA, which meets once a month to help maintain a healthy relationship between academics and athletics.
Although Lewis is involved in a range of commitments, she feels like she’s struck a healthy balance in her time management strategy. “My freshman year I tried to do everything,” she admitted. “I was in Organic Chemistry, I was in Calculus 2 and I did Science Honors and I played tennis and it kinda burnt me out my freshman year. I think freshman year should really be about building those connections, and then once you have your support group it’s easier to focus on your studies because you have those friends. I’m glad I worked hard in school, but I’m really glad for the relationships I’ve built.”
“Ultimately,” Lewis concluded, “branch out and try to make friends, because when you leave that’s really what you’re going to remember.”