Student Spotlight: Marissa Davis

Photo Credit: Jennifer Tepper

A student of many talents would not even begin to describe Marissa Davis, a sophomore Criminal Justice major who recently declared a double minor: Pre-Law, and Child Welfare and Family Services. Many may recognize her name from the e-mails they receive regarding events happening on campus each week. If a random student were asked how many organizations they were a part of, the average response would probably be one or two. If one heard about a student involved in four organizations, he or she would probably be blown out of the water. 

Davis is actively involved in eightorganizations: PACE (Programming Activities in a Campus Environment), PAW (Plymouth Awesome Weekends), Delta Zeta, Spring Fling Committee, Relay for Life, Class of 2017 Officers, Chi Alpha Christian Ministries, and the Criminal Justice Organization. The real question is, how on earth does she have time for all she does?

Davis is the former secretary of PACE, after joining in spring of 2014, and is currently running for an Executive Board position. As secretary, she helped to advertise, reserve, and program events on campus. But that is not all she does. “As a general member, I help actually plan out the events and make sure people are going to be there. I express new ideas for different events that would reach all different interests on campus,” said Davis. She makes sure to attend the committee meetings and tries to find ways to make the organization work as cohesively as possible.

In the fall of 2013, Davis joined PAW. She is currently the Student Activities Office Intern which includes her being an assistant for PAW. She works to help facilitate the events that the organization puts on every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. One of her roles as Intern is planning the budget for the year in order to make sure that they have enough money for all of their exciting activities. What is happening each weekend can be seen in her weekly e-mails.
During the fall of 2014, Davis joined Delta Zeta Sorority. After just one semester in, she received the E-board position of Vice President of Membership. When asked what this entailed, Davis said, “I look to recruit new members for the sorority. I plan recruitment events at the beginning of each semester so that potential new members can come and see if Delta Zeta is a fit for them.”

Also during the fall of 2014, Davis joined the Spring Fling Committee. She is one of the volunteer coordinators which means she recruits volunteers for all the various needs of Spring Fling. Some of those needs include tabling the ticket sales, Battle of the Bands, and the Spring Fling Concert.

Davis is the survivor chair for Relay for Life, another club she joined this past fall. With this position, she becomes the contact person for cancer survivors. “I see if these individuals would like to take part in our relay for life event and invite them to a survivor dinner,” said Davis.

Since her second semester at PSU, Davis has been a part of the Class of 2017 Officers. She is the Vice President, working alongside the president, Joe Boisvert. “The Class of 2017 looks to fundraise for a class gift and to fundraise for different local community service projects,” said Davis. In the spring of 2014, the class worked alongside PACE and other organizations on campus to put on a 5k run as a fundraiser. The proceeds went to a local charity.
Davis has attended the meetings for Chi Alpha Christian Ministries since the fall of 2014. She says that Chi Alpha is a place where people are able to ask questions and talk freely about faith.

During this current semester, Davis joined the Criminal Justice Organization. This organization “serves to bring different individuals from the Criminal Justice field to campus so that students can build connections within the field,” said Davis. She is helping put on the Criminal Justice fair that will be happening this coming April. Recruiters from different agencies, such as the FBI, will be there to talk with interested students about available opportunities.
As the SAO Intern, Davis works as a resource for the Plymouth State student body. She informs them of upcoming events as well as different scholarships, clubs, and jobs around campus. She helps campus organization officers program and market their events, reserve rooms, and use orgsync. She also pulls and sends reports for administration.

As she juggles all of these different orgs, Davis has managed to leave her Fridays free. After becoming too stressed last semester, she sought the help of her advisor, Mark Fischler. Davis said, “I realized the importance of free time and self-meditation and how it affects my overall well-being and stress levels.”

When asked why she would want to be involved in so many different organizations, Davis said that she loves the campus and is a very social person. She thrives off of being a part of a group and having others around her that share the same goals.

Davis shows a great dedication to not only her school, family, and friends, but also to her community. She is very well-rounded and is always working her hardest. Some parting words of wisdom to think about from the woman of the hour: “On top of being actively involved on campus, it is crucial to give yourself social time and alone time, along with having time for your academics. I believe that in balancing these things you will have an enjoyable college experience.”