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CSUMB honored at Student Affairs conference

The 'O Team' changed Natasha Daly's life

Pursue a career in archaeology or student affairs? That’s the question facing Natasha Daly.

Daly was recently recognized with a regional Undergraduate Student Leader award from NODA, the Association for Orientation, Transition and Retention in Higher Education.

She received the award at the Region II conference at Cal Poly Pomona. It recognizes undergraduates for their creativity, energy and enthusiasm ­– the backbone of successful orientation programs.

Samantha Glazer, first-year experience coordinator at CSUMB, nominated Daly for the award. “Throughout the last 18 months, Natasha has been the constant in a whirlwind of staff transition within Student Activities & Leadership Development,” Glazer said in her nomination letter. “While there was no full-time professional staff dedicated to overseeing the program, there was Natasha – a devoted student orientation intern. Natasha served as the glue of orientation through her dedication, passion for helping students and excellent communication skills.” Daly’s first campus job was in the Student Center. She was quickly recruited to join the “O Team” as an orientation leader. “That changed my life,” she said. “I was hooked on the feeling I got after completing the job.” From there, she moved up to be the first-year experience intern, supervising 30 orientation leaders. “Natasha can inspire and motivate those around her by displaying high levels of integrity and honesty. She is a mentor to her fellow students,” Glazer said. Will the senior from the Sacramento area consider a career in student affairs? She hasn’t made up her mind. Daly is majoring in social and behavioral sciences with a concentration in archaeology. “Becoming an archaeologist

was my dream since I was a third grader,” she said. But then . . .

“I feel that I fit nicely in Student Affairs. It’s a rewarding job. There is definitely a big possibility that it will be my career path; however, I am finding it a little difficult to give up my first dream and love for archaeology.

“It’s a big decision for me, and I’m job searching now for potential positions in both fields.”

The experience at the NODA conference may have helped with the decision. “It felt good to have our university walk away with two of the four awards. Our goal was to put CSUMB on the map and to showcase the work we’ve been doing. Overall, it was a very fulfilling experience,” she said.

As she prepares to graduate in May, Daly has some advice for CSUMB students.

“The best thing you can do is to ignore that voice inside that says you aren’t worthy or capable. The less you listen to that voice, the more you will succeed and find happiness.”

INNOVATION PROGRAM AWARD

CSUMB was also honored by NODA for improvements to the orientation registration system that significantly improved access for low-income students.

Prior to 2015, few low-income students attended orientation, despite the fact that a partial fee waiver was available. Requesting the waiver was a cumbersome process that required identifying themselves as low-income. Student Life and Information Technology employees collaborated on a system that allowed automatic waivers as part of the orientation registration module.

The impact was immediate – more than 96 percent of eligible students took advantage of the waiver compared to 12 percent who used it before the process was automated.

Published March 9, 2016