Alexa Laska
Meet Alexa Laska
Hometown: Lancaster, NY
College: Dyson
Major: Applied Economics and Management
Year: MPS '23
Students work at campus jobs and internships ranging from office support to peer advisor to intramural referee -- many of which are hosted within Student & Campus Life. In the interview below, learn more about Alexa Laska who is employed as a Student Event Planner with Cornell Conference and Event Services.
Out of all the opportunities on campus, why did you choose this one?
At my undergraduate institution, I was involved in a lot of different organizations and programs spanning from residential life to Omicron Delta Epsilon (international honor society for economics) which kept me busy. In high school I was a member of a Gold Council of Excellence through the National Association of Student Councils which required three years of coursework and one year of community event planning and management. Given these two pieces of information I felt as though my skills would be best put to use with CES and I would find joy in what I was doing.
Describe some of your responsibilities
My primary role is to assist the professional staff involved with the office on a variety of tasks from contracting for our summer programs to aiding wedding rehearsals and ceremonies. This may come in the form of contacting vendors for clients, managing incoming calls to the central office, editing contracts, drawing up diagrams for various campus spaces, or working on-site for different events taking place.
What skills have you developed in your campus job?
I think over the last several months I have been able to develop a more creative approach to solving problems.
What’s come out of your position that most surprised you?
More than anything else it's been seeing all of the moving parts of putting together a production in action. I came into my role aware of how many people were behind the scenes of a simple tabling event, but still surprised to see how many people come together to make something great happen on campus.
What experience or skills have you developed that you feel will help you down the road in your career?
Time management, effort, and self-discipline are at the core of my role, and while I feel like those are skills that are transferable to any role someone could fulfill, studies show that they are characteristics of a strong academic career. I'd like to work in academia as a professor in the future, so I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about the qualities I value most and how I can best integrate them into teaching philosophies effective for future students.
What advice do you have for other students interested in an on-campus job?
Get to know the people that you're working with; professional staff and student employees alike. I've met some of the most amazing people working with event services, and I'm very thankful to be able to have a job alongside them.