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Bailey Thompson<\/strong> | News Editor<\/span><\/p>\n Can you tell me a bit about your new position?<\/b><\/p>\n I work with both Abby\u2019s House and the Food Pantry. So, for Abby\u2019s House, that is the Bilingual Advocate part. And that\u2019s giving direct service to victims and survivors. And for the Outreach Coordinator part, it\u2019s through the Food Pantry \u2014 supervising and helping with food insecurities around campus.<\/span><\/p>\n What is one fun fact about you that people might not expect?<\/b><\/p>\n I love skateboarding\u2026 I\u2019ve been practicing at it, and I really enjoy that. Also, I used to want to be a pastry chef.<\/span><\/p>\n What did your life look like before entering this position?<\/b><\/p>\n I recently just graduated this last term. So, it\u2019s pretty fresh right now. Starting my freshman year, I did mentoring for two years with the MCR (Multicultural Representatives) program, and that is being a mentor for two to three incoming freshmen who are low-income, first-generation or (have) diverse backgrounds\u2026 And then I\u2019ve been an advocate with Abby\u2019s House for three years and two of those where I was the office coordinator here. And I was a research assistant with the suicide prevention grant here on campus. I also did an internship at Sable House, so that definitely helped prepare me for this position.<\/span><\/p>\n What about this position drew you to apply and stick around after graduating?<\/b><\/p>\n I\u2019m very passionate about advocacy and helping underrepresented people \u2014 just bringing more inclusivity and resources to our campus. Being bilingual is a new thing for us, and I think that\u2019s a great thing to have to support people even more.<\/span><\/p>\n What are some of your favorite things about Monmouth and the Western community?<\/b><\/p>\n I really like that it\u2019s a small community, so we\u2019re able to just be more personal and help more people. It\u2019s very welcoming. Also, I\u2019m an undocumented student, and I\u2019ve found a lot of support from Western and their different programs.<\/span><\/p>\n How do you think that this position will challenge you moving forward?<\/b><\/p>\n I think it\u2019s a challenge going from someone who is a part of a team \u2026 to now being more of a leader and being in charge. But, I think also doing more outreach because a lot of people don\u2019t know about our services \u2014 so getting the word out there is important.<\/span><\/p>\n What is one goal that you have for Abby\u2019s House or the Food Pantry in the future?<\/b><\/p>\n I think I would just like us to be even more inclusive. We\u2019re adding these roles that I think will help to just house things in one place instead of having to navigate through this whole system. So, definitely just being a place where people can come to be safe and welcome and to get the support that they need.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n