Student Spotlight: Jane Hughes

Name: Jane Hughes 
Year: Junior 
Major: International Political Economy (IPE) 
Hometown: Oreland, PA 





1) What made you choose Fordham?

I chose Fordham because i didn't have to sacrifice a real campus for proximity to a city, and everything that goes along with it! For example, things to do, internships, not feeling cut off from the world in a small town college, etc.  

2) What are you involved in here at Fordham?

I'm on the FCA e-board, I work in Fordham Career Services, I used to play intramural sports, and I volunteer with the Generation Citizen club on campus.

3) Tell us more about FCA. 

FCA is the bridge between career services and students. It's made up of students and provides a really casual way to meet employers and successful alumni, and make friends with the people in Career Services (who are a HUGE resource to have at your fingertips - especially when they know you personally!)  FCA does a lot of different events that get students in contact with employers outside of the traditional interview-process (which is strictly career services' job), by doing this we take a lot of pressure off of both the student and employer which facilitates real connections that can be invaluable when you're looking for an internship/job.

4) What are FCA's big events for the semester? 

Yesterday we had a really successful "First Impressions Carnival" that introduces underclassmen to basic things like resume building and taking a LinkedIn picture for them.  In March, we are starting our recruitment phase - we have applicants interview with us to make sure they're the best representatives we can give employers from the Fordham student body. Towards the end of the semester, we're putting on our second annual Speed Networking Event, which is a really fun night that's set up like a regular speed dating event, but has about 10 employers from all different fields sit at tables while small groups of students get a chance to sit down with them and chat about anything for a couple of minutes. Last year we had a really big turn out from students and more employers requested to be a part of it than we could accommodate, so this year we're going even bigger!

5) Tell us about your internship! 

I'm interning with the Synergos Institute, a non profit founded by Peggy Rockefeller. It focuses on capacity-building in underdeveloped countries so that all of the aid programs we (and other NGO's) donate money to can become self-reliant and continue long after the donated money/resources has stopped coming. Our work puts the countries we help in control of their futures, instead of barging in and telling them what to do in terms of development.  I'm on the development team, which means I work with our donors to determine where their gifts are most needed, and the people who actually receive them. It's a very eye-opening internship, and no, I have never been asked to get coffee or make copies. 

6) Any advice for high school students deciding where they want to spend their next four years? 

Follow your dreams, this may take a lot of work, but it is definitely worth it! Don't be afraid, college is definitely a lot less scary than it may seem! 

To learn more about FCA click here! 

That One Year We Learned to Cook...

Yum!

Family dinners with friends!

This past fall, I moved into Walsh Hall for my junior year and opted not to get a meal plan because each room in this apartment-style residence hall has its own kitchen. My roommates and I were eager to learn how to live like *real* adults and prepare each meal ourselves.

The challenge over the summer before move-in was coordinating who would bring what – we didn't understand what we would need and quickly realized we needed to figure out some system of dividing the purchases to avoid all bringing the same thing. Even so, when we settled in at the start of the year, we still somehow managed to each bring pans but forget to bring a paper towel holder…

Fresh pasta from Arthur Ave.

Staying cozy during the snowstorm.

My friends and I heard anecdotes from others about how difficult sharing an apartment could be, but we never really felt the stresses of having both private and public space to take care of, especially since we were already so close before moving in together. We quickly figured out a schedule as to when each person would be responsible for making dinners, washing dishes, cleaning various parts of the apartment, and even making the communal pot of coffee in the morning! It suddenly felt like we were our own little family, and, when our own families came to visit, they were always pleasantly surprised at how responsibly we managed our home away from home.

Dining hall trip!

Every so often, I still stop by the Marketplace – the buffet-style dining hall in McGinley – for a quick bite if I’m in a rush between classes or if I’m meeting a friend. In some ways, I really miss the convenience of on-campus dining (and I really did grow quite fond of the steamed veggies over rice at the vegan station!), but having my own kitchen and being able to make my own meals inevitably made me feel a lot more capable of taking care of myself. This year, my roommates and I learned to grocery shop, pick out fresh produce, make tons of healthy meals, and really bonded over this new level of maturity that we’ve reached.  

Burger night!

Sitting down for a “family” dinner at the end of a long day of classes will always be one of my most cherished Fordham memories.