The Memorial Union was abuzz on Wednesday with students hanging out with friends, preparing for their final classes and starting to study for final exams. Up on the third floor, things were a little quieter, but there were still more people than usual. The Bodwell Center became a little pocket of quiet within the Union, with third-year marketing student Emily Mitchell working as the receptionist.
Mitchell originally got involved in the Bodwell Center through volunteering events like the annual blood drives and Maine Day meal-packouts with the Honors College. When she found out there was an opening for a work-study position she jumped at the opportunity.
“I’ve done Bodwell Center volunteering before so I thought this would be a cool job,” Mitchell said.
When asked what her favorite memory at the University of Maine has been so far, she automatically identified Maine Day, especially the devotion to bettering the community on that day.
“The focus on volunteering I really love. The whole campus comes together to work toward a common goal that UMaine stands for… Just coming together and being a family.”
Every year on Maine Day she participates in the meal-packing event with the Honors College, one of the many annual community service projects.
In addition to her love for volunteering, she also has a strong UMaine spirit.
“I just love UMaine. I love the atmosphere, the people, the community and the classes I take.”
Mitchell sees her work at the Bodwell Center helping her in her future career goals. As a marketing student, she wants to market for a company, but not just any company.
“I want to work in marketing. I want to market for Target because I love Target,” Mitchell said.
It’s more than just a love for the store though. She also loves their priority of the community and the customer, as well as their focus on volunteering and being active in your community.
“[Target] has such a focus on the customer experience which is something that I care about,” Mitchell said. “My work in the Bodwell Center has given me people skills and given me new experiences in the community, which is something Target is really big on — community engagement.”
As Mitchell moves closer to that dream job through her classes and work at UMaine, she has strong feelings about volunteering and the importance of everyone contributing and working together.
“I love helping people, so when everyone comes together to improve things in the community and we are working toward it, then it’s more likely to happen… Pushing that message that volunteering is important and it does help people, is really important to me.”
