2020 – Casey Nevins
I remember Convocation vividly. All around me, my peers looked like they should be at a Country Club in Beverly Hills. Looking down at my sale‐rack dress, I began to sweat. I couldn’t help but feel like I didn’t belong. During the next four years, I would learn just how wrong I was. I have learned that the Lafayette ideal is not about where you came from, but how well you utilize the resources available. It is someone who leads, especially in hard times and someone who provides support for their peers. When people hear my two majors‐‐ Neuroscience and English‐‐ they point out how different the two subjects are, and I explain how I refuse to limit my passions. I have a passion for the intricacies of the human brain, but also for analyzing world literature through a feminist lens. I have taken advantage of Lafayette’s abundance of scientific greatness and its creative minds.
My success does not stop with academics. My greatest accomplishment lies in being a leader. As President of Marquis Players, I have made it a priority to create an inclusive space. I led the initiative for the club to become safe‐zone certified, I created wellness groups to emphasize the importance of mental health, and I have been a friend to those who need one most. Under my leadership, Marquis Players raised a record‐breaking sum for charity and remains connected in spite of COVID‐19. Through the College Writing Program, I worked at the nonprofit organization, ProJeCt of Easton, teaching English to help break the cycle of poverty. We celebrated our differences and provided support for one another through our friendship.
Despite my moments of doubt during Convocation, the last four years have taught me that I not only belong, but that I am the Lafayette ideal.
Other Information:
Academic Activity/Award 1:
Writing Associate|3|As a Writing Associate, my job is to have meaningful conversations with my peers about their writing. Through these conversations, the Writing Associates aim to improve the student’s ability to write, not just to improve a specific essay that they are working on at the time. In the three years that I have been a Writing Associate, I have worked with professors in the Theater Department, the Psychology Department, the Environmental Science Department, as well as the Mechanical Engineering Department. In addition, for one semester, I worked at ProJeCt of Easton. ProJeCt of Easton is a nonprofit organization in downtown Easton that works to break the cycle of poverty by providing varying levels of education as well as providing other means of support. There, I worked with a group of adults learning to speak English for the first time. On top of these specific assignments, I have also worked with students of all departments during drop‐in hours, and I have contributed meaningfully in weekly staff meetings.
Academic Activity/Award 2:
Independent Study|1|In my sophomore year, I worked with Professor Michael Butler in the Biology Department, studying the possible evolutionary relationship between bird eggs and biliverdin (blue‐ green pigment).
Academic Activity/Award 3:
Gilbert Prize|1|In my junior year, I was awarded the Gilbert Prize. The Gilbert Prize is “awarded annually to students who, in the judgment of the department of English, have demonstrated superiority in English.”
Academic Activity/Award 4:
Psi Chi International Honors Society|2|I was inducted May 2019.
Academic Activity/Award 5:
Dean’s List|4|I have made the Dean’s List for 7 semesters (8 anticipating this Spring).
Academic Activity/Award 6:
Career Services Externship Participation|1|I participated in the Career Services Externship Program in January 2019 at Movember in NYC. Movember is a nonprofit organization that works to improve men’s physical and mental health.
Campus Service Activity /Award 1:
Marquis Players|4|Marquis Players is a completely student‐run, nonprofit theater organization with nearly 100 total members. I have been an active member of Marquis Players in my four years at Lafayette, participating in every fundraiser and performing in every annual musical production. In my junior year, I was nominated as Operations Manager of Marquis Players. As Operations Manager, I was in charge of obtaining the rights for the musical, obtaining and managing the budget, organizing our annual Fall Showcase, reserving rooms for fundraisers, meetings, and rehearsals, and managing the house during the musical performances. In my senior year, I was nominated as President of Marquis Players. As President, I organize the responsibilities for the rest of the executive council (the Vice President, the Operations Manager, the Public Relations Chair, the Fundraising Chairs, and the Director).
I act as the liaison to our advisor and between Marquis Players and other student groups. This year, I organized Check‐in groups within the club in an attempt to foster friendships and provide support in an unpredictable semester. In this last year of Marquis Players, I was also a member of the Set Design Team. Although we never had the opportunity to build the set due to COVID‐19, we researched and designed a beautiful set, all while staying within budget.
Campus Service Activity /Award 2:
Mar‐Keys A Capella|2|I joined the Mar‐Keys in my sophomore year. In my junior year, I was nominated as the Social Media Chair of the organization. Aside from providing basic leadership within meetings and rehearsals, I promoted performances and fostered the relationship between the club and the Lafayette community through social media like Instagram and Facebook.
Campus Service Activity /Award 3:
Arts Society|4|I have been a member of the Arts Society since my first year but in my senior year I moved into one of the Arts Houses. As an Arts Houser, I am a leader of the club and my house has become a safe space for members of the arts community (and the Lafayette community in general) to gather.
Campus Service Activity /Award 4:
Promotion of Animal Welfare Club|3|I joined the Promotion of Animal Welfare Club (PAW) as a first year. In my sophomore year, I was elected as the club’s Education Coordinator. In addition to leading and participating in all of the club’s fundraisers and other events, in this position specifically, I gave talks on animal rights, contacted guest speakers, organized campus‐wide events that educate the students about animal rights, and led volunteer trips to a local animal shelter (Camp Papillon). I maintained this position throughout my sophomore year and my junior year.
Campus Service Activity /Award 5:
Choir|2|I was a member of Lafayette’s Choir Ensemble during my first year and my sophomore year. I sang in the Soprano section.
Campus Service Activity /Award 6:
Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity|1|I was a member of the Alpha Chapter of APO in my sophomore year.
Campus Service Activity /Award 7:
Aaron O. Hoff Award: Program of the Year Award|1|In my junior year, I, in conjunction with the rest of the Executive Council of Marquis Players, organized the Heathers Talk Back. After our opening show, several members of the cast and crew answered prepared questions and took questions from the audience. Heathers delves into a number of sensitive topics including teen suicide, relationship violence, gun violence and bullying, and we wanted to provide a safe space for our audience to address these topics with us, as well as with representatives from PASA and the Counseling Center. Because this show is able to address these subject under the veil of musical comedy, the Talk Back opened up a unique forum for discussion with the community.
Campus Service Activity /Award 8:
Safe Zone Certified|1|I was Safe Zone Certified in Fall 2019. I also organized Safe Zone Certification for the rest of the Marquis Players Executive Council, as well as for the Arts Society Arts Housers.
Community Service 1:
Dog‐Walker at Camp Papillon|3|I volunteered as a Dog Walker at the Camp Papillon Animal Shelter, a no‐kill animal shelter in Stroudsburg, PA.
Community Service 2:
Lafapalooza|2|I participated in this day of service during my freshman and sophomore years. Community Service 3: Habitat for Humanity|4|During my time at home, I raise money and volunteer for Habitat for Humanity.
Community Service 4:
Marquis Players|4|Marquis Players is, above all, a nonprofit organization. Every year we host fundraisers and donate our ticket sale revenue to various charity organizations. Last year, through the efforts of the executive council, we donated a record-breaking $6,636 to the Lafayette College Counseling Center, the Dan P. O’Neil ‘06 Memorial Fund, Third Street Alliance, Safe Harbor, and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. This year, though we will not be having our show due to COVID-19, I am ensuring that we raise as much money as we can through virtual fundraisers.
Athletic Activity /Award 1:
Zumba|1|
Special Interest Activity/Award 1:
Internship at the Long Island Science Center|1|At the Long Island Science Center, I provided administrative support with all marketing/media initiatives by developing creative content, pitching new marketing and press/media projects, writing press releases, and analyzing campaign outcome evaluations. I also helped guests of the science center interact with and understand the many exhibits.
Special Interest Activity/Award 2:
Science Tutor for High Schoolers|4|During the summers, I tutor high schoolers in science as they prepare for upcoming state examinations.