Cedarville students contribute to campus through lesser-known student jobs

By Esther Fultz

For many students, working throughout college is necessary. Even for those who don’t absolutely need to work, having extra spending money can be nice. Many jobs on campus that students work are well-known – after all, we usually see Rinnova and Chick-fil-A workers every day. Some students, however, contribute to campus life behind the scenes through jobs that are lesser known.

Junior Elizabeth Kollmar is a Broadcasting, Digital Media and Journalism major with a concentration in Video and Film. She works at the Center for Teaching and Learning on campus creating videos for online courses, including introductory videos for online modules and videos of live events like PAC events for students who can’t attend these events in person but still need to view the content. Her job doubles as an internship for her major.

In order to do well in the job, Kollmar recommends student workers have basic video editing skills, as well as a variety of soft skills – personal traits that enable workers to interact effectively with others. 

“I work a lot in Premiere Pro and After Effects,” Kollmar said. “In terms of soft skills, I think creativity and problem solving is a huge one. A lot of times we will get a project and then we have to develop the vision for it, we have this video we want to create but we have to figure out how we are going to make that come to life and be interesting for people to watch and not something we’ve already done before.”

Kollmar appreciates the experience with After Effects she has gained from her job, as well as unique opportunities she has to edit content that has benefitted her personally. 

“I got to edit two different courses for the Bible minor project and it was really neat to basically take those classes with a different prof,” Kollmar said. “It was a great refresher and encouraging that even though I was there to edit videos and get paid I was able to learn about the Bible.”

She also appreciates the welcoming environment the Center of Teaching and Learning fosters and the relationships she has developed with her coworkers.

“It kind of becomes a little bit of a family over there,” Kollmar said. “My coworkers want to know how your week is going and what you’re up to and want to support you.  And then it’s always fun to do video work and it becomes almost my safe haven on campus a little bit. Like when everything’s crazy with classes, I can go there and for two hours I know I’m just gonna sit there and edit videos, which is relaxing.”

Senior social work major Lindsey Lankford is student supervisor for advancement’s phonathon team, a group of students who, according to Lankford “represent Cedarville to donors and alumni through phone calls.” As supervisor, she answers questions her team may have, coordinates scheduling, and provides updates. She also works alongside them making phone calls.

“We usually call with a specific initiative or campaign,” Lankford said. “It’s typically raising money for the Cedarville Fund which supports student scholarships, and things that go directly to the student body. It’s really cool because we get to represent the student body and advocate for them and raise funds so that more students can come here.”

To excel in the job, Lankford recommends students enjoy people and demonstrate confidence and passion for the mission of Cedarville.

“If you enjoy people, if you love initiating conversations, if you love asking questions, then this is a really good job for you because that’s basically what you do,” Lankford said. “It’s probably necessary that you are comfortable putting yourself out there because you are asking for money and it’s technically cold calling so I think just being confident and also being passionate about Cedarville [is helpful].”

Through her job, Lankford has learned how to better face rejection.

“Not every phone is a touchdown kind of thing where I walk away and think, wow they loved me or they love Cedarville or they’re giving,” Lankford said. “Sometimes the call doesn’t go the way you expect so it’s helped to have a bit of thicker skin to receive rejection.”

Lankford has also learned through her time at phonathon how to care for people well over a phone and how much of an impact a simple phone call can make.

“It’s been really cool to hear some prayer requests and people sharing different things about their time here at Cedarville and getting to encourage them and reminisce on that season of life they had here and share in that as I’m experiencing campus life and attending chapels,” Lankford said. “Hearing people’s experiences of when they were in school 50 years ago, Cedarville was so much different but it’s cool to hear how in some ways, like the core values, it’s the same.”

Junior Global Business major Janie Walenda is a costume shop worker and helps make costumes for all of Cedarville’s mainstage theater productions. Depending on the time of the semester, her responsibilities may include sewing, color coordinating outfits with jewelry, organization, and cleaning.

While sewing skills are useful, critical thinking skills are more important.

“You don’t have to have sewing skills but you have to have the skills to figure out how to sew,” Walenda said. “I might not know a stitch she tells me to sew so I have to use YouTube to look it up and figure it out. It’s important to figure out what’s going to work and when to ask for help, and if you’re a crafty person at all, even if you haven’t sewn, you’ll probably do well.”

This type of critical thinking is something Walenda has grown in through her role, particularly this semester since the professor she works under has class during the time of her shift. She’s  also relearned the practical skill of sewing, something she originally picked up in middle school, and she has learned a variety of interesting tidbits from her coworkers in different majors.

“I work with a history major and someone in one of the arts majors and when you’re in there sewing for three to four hours on a school day, you end up having really fun conversations,” Walenda said. “I’ve learned a lot from talking to them.”

Walenda appreciates how her job provides a break for her from the stress of assignments and day to day life and gives her some forced time to pursue a hobby she enjoys.

“It’s not exactly a hobby because it’s my job but I’ve always been a crafty person which is why I liked to sew when I’m younger,” Walenda said. “I have a friend who does watercolors every week and I love that so much because you know she’s made that time for her hobby and I haven’t been able to do that so having a designated time every week to go in and know I’m sewing now or doing this craft related sorting thing has been really good mental health honestly. And I really appreciate the friends I’ve made there.”

Esther Fultz is a senior Social Work major and the Off Campus Editor for Cedars. When she’s not writing or editing for Cedars she enjoys thrifting, making coffee, exploring new places, and spending time with friends.