My Unconventional Path to Joining Student Government
So, I have a funny story about how I got involved in Student Government at Juniata College. Before I came to Juniata, I attended orientation. One of the speakers was the acting president, and he announced that he was planning on running a newsletter for the college. I expressed my interest, and he told me to attend a Student Government meeting once school started. I was sitting with three other freshmen who were all interested in joining the policy committee. After a week, they began inducting the freshmen who were interested in joining Student Government, and called for those interested in the policy committee to stand so we could be voted in. Not one of us caught what we were supposed to do, so he motioned for all four of us to stand, and we were voted in. That’s how I went from writing a newsletter to joining student government—possibly one of the best mistakes to ever happen to me.
Student Government is an independent, student-run organization with the goal of implementing the student body’s concerns to make the college a better place. Members of the Student Government communicate a lot with both faculty and the senior leadership team consisting of high-ranking employees in the college, such as the president, provost, and dean of students. Currently, we have had continuous contact with the campus life office, attempting to establish a new tradition on campus.
While my journey began by accidentally joining the policy committee my freshman year, I have since joined my class’s board as acting treasurer. I enjoyed my time and involvement in Student Government, so I decided to take on a higher position. As treasurer, I budget and track funds for my board to make sure we host many fun events on campus, building up to senior week for our class before we graduate. We’re also responsible for the senior gift our class will sponsor.
There’s so much hard work that goes into our projects, but it’s so rewarding seeing our work make a permanent impact on the campus. We’ve had a huge hand in a lot of policy changes at the school, and hosted tons of fun events for students. Seeing everyone benefit from our hard work and leave our events with big smiles reminds me why I spend so much of my free time working with Student Government. Showing interest in a newsletter was the greatest decision I’ve ever made.
Be sure to follow us on Instagram at @jcclassof2025!
How I’m Getting Two Degrees in Four Years
When I was applying for colleges, my number one fear was the cost. I didn’t want to come out of college with debt and heaps of student loans to pay off. That’s why when Juniata offered me a spot in their 3+1 Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) program, I jumped at the opportunity.
The accelerated dual degree program allows students to earn their bachelor’s in three years and their MBA in their fourth year. While it would normally take students five to six years to complete, I could finish my typical 4 years of college with both a bachelor’s and a master’s.
My degree is in Marketing within the Accounting, Business, and Economics department, but Juniata has plenty of programs to pick from if your concentration is not in business. Other programs where the 3+1 is offered include Environmental Studies, Spanish, and Communication. Other than financial benefits that come with an accelerated dual degree, the program has also posed many opportunities on and off campus.
Specifically, Juniata has a chapter of an honors business society called Tau Pi Phi, and you typically enter the program as a junior after being recommended by faculty. Since you are on an accelerated path in the 3+1 program, you get entered into the program a year earlier than most, allowing you the opportunity to go to Pittsburgh in the spring for a case study competition. As someone who went this past spring, trust me when I say it was an incredible experience that allowed me to make some of my closest friends and taught me about how I can further myself as a business student.
Other advantages of the 3+1 program are the opportunity to connect with alumni and faculty of Juniata. Networking is an incredibly important aspect of entering the workforce. When trying to get a job in the future, networking helps you build a better reputation, increase visibility, and strengthen your support network.
Overall, the 3+1 program offers many academic, financial, and experiential advantages. Whether it’s earning two degrees in four years, saving money on two years of education, or enhancing your network, it is an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up, and I hope you don’t either!
Juniata Mock Trial Team’s Season Wraps Up in Memphis
For the second year in a row, Juniata’s Mock Trial team (lovingly called the Legal Eagles) have made it to the National Championship Tournament. This year’s tournament was hosted by Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, and the best schools in the country were there: Harvard, Yale, UCLA and of course, Juniata College.
The case being argued was a legal malpractice case. The plaintiff, Robin Skye, was wrongfully convicted of killing their spouse, and ten years later is suing their Defense attorney Aubrey Gold for not doing their job well enough. The team had to prep both the Defense and Plaintiff sides of the case for a little over a month.
As a junior at Juniata, this was my third year on the team and my second time going to Nationals. I have always loved the ability to make connections with other people on campus and people from different schools. This year was no different. During our four trials throughout the weekend, we got to meet and become friends with people from the University of Michigan, the University of Chicago, New York University, and Haverford College. We also got to scrimmage Northwestern University, Macalester College, the University of Arkansas, Hillsdale College, and the University of Georgia. Overall, we finished in the top 48 teams in the country, although official rankings will come out later this summer, so stay tuned!
Mock Trial is of course a serious sport, but we also got to be tourists. From the iconic Bass Pro Shop Pyramid to the duck walk at the Peabody Hotel, we got the full Memphis experience, including getting barbecue at the Rendezvous restaurant. We spent a lot of time bonding as a team and making connections with the other teams we saw, including getting pizza with Macalester.
With the end of Nationals, the Mock Trial season is officially over. We started in August of 2022, and got to travel across the country, from Pittsburgh to Memphis to California. We have played teams as varied as Penn State University, Brown University, and even smaller schools like Wellesley College.
We look forward to the next year of Mock Trial, and the start of Mock Trial Bootcamp next August, where we welcome the new members of the team to campus. Stay tuned for next year’s season, where we will hopefully get a ticket to next year’s National Championship Tournament in Chicago, hosted by Loyola University!
Chem Camp comes back to Juniata!
As most Juniata College students would agree, we pride ourselves on hands-on learning opportunities. In order to learn, you have to practice the concepts yourself. Sure, you might need to watch someone perform a task or complete a problem so that you can understand the basic concepts, but eventually you will have to do it yourself.
With those ideas in mind, the Chemistry/Biochemistry Department decided to bring back Chem Camp. This camp is a one-day event where local 2nd – 5th graders are invited to campus to participate in science experiments. This year, I was the Chem Camp Coordinator. I worked with professors, staff, and students to make and deliver flyers to elementary schools, advertise the event online, get our volunteers fully cleared to work with the students, and so much more.
This year, our event was held on April 1st, 2023 (not an April fool’s prank) at 9:00 AM sharp. About 45 students were officially registered in the camp and spent the day practicing science with us. While they were here, the students completed five labs, each of which focused on a different branch of chemistry.
- Color changing slime, Physical chemistry
- Volcanoes, Geochemistry
- Chromatography flowers, Analytical chemistry
- Oil spills, Environmental chemistry
- Atomic models, Organic/Inorganic chemistry
To split up the day, we fed the students lunch and took a quick brain break to get some of their energy out. From there, it was back to lab where all the students were fully engaged, making academic messes and learning in a stress-free environment. Around 2:40 PM, we gathered all the students together and welcomed guardians to join us as the Chemistry/Biochemistry Club officers put on a final demonstration. They made us liquid nitrogen ice cream, mixed fire with giant gummy bars, and froze various objects. I think it’s safe to say that all of us were excited to watch the show and make predictions about the outcomes.
This is just one example of how students are able to get engaged with campus. Elementary schools don’t always have the time and resources to complete these experiments in the classroom, so we decided to provide an opportunity to do so. Encouraging youthful students to get involved with science now will help spark creativity, curiosity, and eventually a more diverse field.
Recapping the 2023 Bailey Oratorical
One of Juniata’s most recognized traditions, the Bailey Oratorical, happened earlier this semester on Tuesday, February 28. Dating all the way back to 1910, the Bailey was founded by Mrs. Letitia Bailey and her son, Thomas, as a memorial to the late Mr. John Bailey. This tradition revolves around a public speaking contest that is judged based on subject-matter, composition, and delivery.
This year was the definition of women in power. All seven of our finalists identify as women and each of them nominated other women for their ‘profile in courage’. To review, our speakers had to create a persuasive speech based on the following prompt:
Who would you nominate for a profile in courage that inspires us as individuals and as a collective to do what is right for the public good? Make a case for why this person should be recognized for their courage in the face of adversity to do what is right for a community, nation, or the world.
This competition started off with Molly Sheets ’26, who blew us away by bringing attention to a woman named Hannie Schaft. Hannie was a resistance fighter during World War II. She quickly became known as “the girl with red hair” and was sought after by Hitler himself because her actions were so significant that she was seen as a threat to his work. From there, Nhu (May) Nguyen ’23 spoke about Michelle Yeoh, a famous Malaysian actress. This speech hit on a number of points including gender discrimination, the underrepresentation of Asian women in American movies, and the fight against cultural disapproval.
The third speaker was Kiran Patil ’24, who spoke about a war journalist named Nicole Tung. Kiran educated us about the importance of capturing these events and spreading them for the world to see. In order for change to happen, we must recognize the violence and suffering that is present in our world and exploit the horrors that would otherwise be hidden. After her, Lillian Case ’25 came in with a speech about Ida B. Wells, who was a leader in the civil rights movement. In her lifetime, Ida was also a journalist and in order to write the stories she desired, she ended up buying co-ownership of the newspaper. To bring even more attention to what she wrote, she printed all of her stories on pink paper, so that even those who couldn’t read would be able to partake in her goals.
Jumping from one movement to the next, Elizabeth Bailey ’23 enlightened us about what it is like to be gay. She spoke about her own experiences and fears while relating them to a loose thread that she once hid. However, after accepting herself and taking the steps to come out she was able to weave a bracelet by linking her support system together and by creating hope for the next person. Also touching on support systems was Hannah Kempken ’23 with her speech about Mrs. Schubert, the teacher of a lifetime. This teacher motivated, encouraged, and trusted her students to push their boundaries and exceed their personal expectations. Based on how and what she taught, those lessons will just keep giving.
Last but certainly not least was Kayla Blackstock ’23 with a speech about women in Iran. She exposed the brutality and fear these women face because of the Iranian government and mandates they are expected to follow seamlessly. Bringing attention to this horror will hopefully encourage others to step up and help these women who are being forced to have moral strength in the face of danger.
As you can see, these speeches opened our eyes and thoughts as we learned about people, events, and ideas that are all part of our world. The judges had a lot of work cut out for them and took their time when deciding who would place in this year’s competition. Elizabeth Bailey placed first, Lillian Case was second, and Kayla Blackstock was third. As students, we also had a voice in deciding who we thought should win. This ended up leading to another moment in Juniata history where the People’s Choice Award resulted in a tie between Elizabeth Bailey and Lillian Case. Overall, congratulations to all of our finalists and their inspiring speeches that led to another successful year of the Bailey Oratorical!
If you missed the Bailey Oratorical, you can watch the archive here.
