Corban students interested in event planning will have an opportunity to gain experience with Corban’s first Student Event Team.
The people responsible for starting up the event team are Kellie Wood, special events planner, and Tori Cole, a senior working with Wood as an intern.
“They will learn different aspects of event planning, where they will get free lessons and seminars,” Cole said. According to Katie Baker, administrative assistant for events, the lessons will be taught by Kellie Wood and invited guests.
“The primary purpose of the team is to represent Corban by greeting, mingling and interacting with Corban guests, basically being the face of Corban,” Wood said. “Secondary is helping with setup, cleanup and other tasks.”
Cole said the team will be comprised of student volunteers, who will be involved in different events, on and off campus, depending on the availability and pre-committed time of each student. Cole and Wood said the expected time commitment would be 20 hours a semester, which would partially consist of training sessions and meetings.
According to Cole, the training for those selected will begin in mid-October to November, when they’ll start helping with events— beginning with the Scholarship Luncheon on Nov. 20.
Cole said students interested in applying should have a passion for people and be open to engaging in small talk with those in attendance at the events.
“It would help to be organized and detail-oriented, but these traits can be learned through experience with the Student Event Team,” Cole said.
Wood said applicants should be those who take initiative, but she welcomes all personality types to apply. She added that an applicant should “have a heart for Corban,” and be willing to give up some of their time.
Regarding the team itself, Wood said she hopes to have approximately 15-20 students on the team that “will represent different facets of Corban: academic degrees, geography, organizations, etc.”
“It’s a unique way to serve the Lord and Corban,” Wood said. “We will work and represent the Lord first.”
Cole said students should apply because being on the team will be something they can put on a resume for anything business-y, something from which they will gain practical knowledge by helping with events, and something from which they will learn team dynamics.
Emily Lowey, a senior majoring in business management and marketing, stated some benefits of being involved with the Student Event Team. She has had experience in event planning from weddings to youth events.
“Being involved in the community would allow students to connect more,” she said. “Students would have a better understanding of how things come together. Each person has a gift to contribute, and it’s cool to see how things come together as a team.”
“They will get to see a side of Corban not a lot of students get to see,” Cole said about selected applicants.
“They’re going to have a blast!” Wood said. “You can’t help but have a good time.”
Student Event Team applications can be picked up at Student Life and will be accepted from Sept. 15-26. Decisions will be made the following weeks with a potential interview section.
Students with any questions are advised to ask Wood at KWood@corban.edu, or Cole at victoriacole@corban.edu.