When Brynn Marlow visited Wilkes University, she fell in love with the campus. She scrapped her plans to attend another school and decided to enroll as a nursing major at Wilkes. Once here, Marlow was a bit homesick for her family in Girardville, Pennsylvania, so she threw herself into campus activities, planning events to give Colonels some fun outside the classroom.
“I found Programming Board and they became my family on campus,” says Marlow. “Programming Board was the reason I stayed at Wilkes.”
Marlow has been active with Wilkes University Programming Board (WUPB) since her first year, devoting her time to more than 120 events. She capped off her senior year by serving as the chairperson for the annual spring concert, bringing the band X Ambassadors to campus. The student-run organization also hosted a County Fair event this spring, bringing food, games and vendors to students on the Fenner Quadrangle. WUPB’s regular weekly events include movie nights, visits to the local roller-skating rink and bingo — drawing up to 300 students.
For events big and small, WUPB is more than just fun and games. It requires students to work with other campus departments like facilities and business operations, as well as outside vendors, to make sure everything goes off without a hitch.
“The students have plenty of opportunity to build relationships and connections, not just with each other, but on-campus and off-campus partnerships as well, which I think is one of the most unique things about being involved on Programming Board,” says Addie Kresge, activities coordinator for the Office of Student Development. “To feel like you belong, to feel connected to other students, I think that it just speaks to the well-rounded individual that you could grow to be through getting involved here at Wilkes.”
WUPB isn’t the only organization that keeps Marlow involved on campus. She serves as a peer mentor for the Honors Program and volunteers as an e-mentor to share her experiences with newer students. Marlow also holds the position of class secretary with the Nursing Student Organization.
“I like to be involved,” says Marlow. “I always wanted to make an impact.”
Marlow’s impact doesn’t end on the Wilkes campus. She joined the Honors Program for a study abroad trip to London and a service trip to Give Kids the World in Florida. Marlow has twice traveled to the Dominican Republic on Alternative Spring Break trips, where the group taught English, worked with the Dream Project in local schools and helped spruce up housing. She also joined a Wilkes group on a fall break trip to New Haven, Connecticut, where students lent a hand with sustainability programs and community gardens.
Though Marlow was nervous about joining in with a group of students she didn’t know, she thought of the service trips as an opportunity to see another part of the world. She ended up seeing herself in the kids and community members they met and discovered a passion for service.
“I always tell Catie she lit this bonfire inside me to do service, give back and volunteer wherever and whenever I can,” Marlow says of Catie Becker, director of civic engagement at Wilkes.
Becker oversees plenty of volunteer opportunities including local food distributions and Habitat for Humanity projects, as well as fall and spring break service trips. But whether around the corner or in another part of the world, the opportunities provide a way for students to grow outside of lectures and labs. “This is their home for the time they’re here. They need to find their place, and a lot of that place is beyond the classroom,” Becker says. “Service makes them more well-rounded individuals after graduation, no matter what field they’re going into.”
For Marlow, volunteer service fits especially well with her chosen career as a nurse. She had the opportunity to work with her academic advisor, Joyce Victor, associate professor of nursing, and Angela Jones, assistant professor of undergraduate nursing, on research involving health care delivered to vulnerable populations. The team did interviews and surveys with members of underserved groups who may not have been treated well. Researchers then used this information to create videos that role model ideal practice scenarios.
“It was really exciting for undergraduates to step up to that level and be involved in primary research,” says Victor. “It would’ve been challenging for a PhD student.”
The goal of involving Marlow and other undergraduate students in research projects is to make them stronger once they’re in a professional setting. The work gives them a head-start on reading and interpreting research and health care changes, while showing them how research affects real-life practice. “It makes them better practitioners,” says Victor.
With her combination of academic work, research experience, campus activities and community service, Marlow feels well-prepared to start her career as a labor and delivery nurse at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania. And she credits the faculty and staff she’s worked with across campus with helping her find her way. “Everyone mentored me in some way. There’s been a lot of influence,” says Marlow. “They were always there to guide me.”
As a self-described sentimental senior before graduation, Marlow offers this advice to incoming students who want to make the most of their time at Wilkes: “Say YES to everything — all opportunities that come your way.”