Meet Maddie: The New Student Voice for the Portfolio Center

Hey Columbia!

My name is Maddie, and I’m here to represent the student voice at the Portfolio Center. I’m a current student at Columbia College Chicago and am double majoring in Fiction Writing and Arts Management and I am going into the second semester of my third year.

Rats in Space

They're Space Rats

I work the front desk here three days out of the week, although it hardly feels like work. Being surrounded by supportive, enthusiastic, incredibly helpful faculty members all day makes it feel like more of an incredible privilege. And no, I’m not saying that because they’re going to proofread this.

What’s This About?

So let’s get down to it. I am here to not only make sure all Columbia students know about all of the incredible services and events that we offer, but I, along with the rest of the staff here, are hoping that these blog posts can help bridge any communication gaps that there may be between faculty and students. It’s incredible to find a collective that is so passionate about student success.

You can expect several things when you hear from me in future posts. It will be a mix of:

  • Event recaps for those who couldn’t attend. (Especially our weekly Friday events.)
  • My personal experience using Portfolio Center services such as Virb and Talent Pool–which you should get hooked up on right now if you haven’t already. Seriously, click the link, go do it right now, and you won’t regret it.)
  • Answers to your questions.

That’s right. The Portfolio Center wants to hear from you. Sort of like Dear Abby, but not entirely. Sorry, but I can’t answer any relationship quandaries. But send us your questions.

  • What do you not quite get yet?
  • What do you want to see more of?
  • What have you not even seen at all?
  • Or to keep it simple, what’s your name? Major? Thought of picking up a minor?

We’re so into getting to know you, we’d take you out for a pasta dinner if we could.

I just wanted to say hello and let you know that I’m here. I’m looking forward to this blogging adventure, and also running into you when you stop by the front desk to say hi and get a free button (I know, contain your excitement).

More About Maddie

I’ll sign off with a few more random facts about me:

  1. I have two pet rats named Billie and Donut. (Refer to photos above.)
  2. Meeting Neil deGrasse Tyson was on my wish list for holiday gifts this year.
  3. My favorite place to grab coffee in the city is Wormhole.
  4. I could eat pasta and Talenti Gelato every day.
  5. I wear a turtle shell backpack. So if you see a short girl with a green shell on her back, that’s probably me. You should say hello.

So until next time, keep doing what you’re passionate about. Because there isn’t a better top priority than that.

So what is true for life itself is no less true for the universe: knowing where you came from is no less important than knowing where you are going. -Neil deGrasse Tyson