Ambition, Alison Gansman has plenty of it. Coming into her Junior year of college, she heads up the Student Activities Board as President and has plans to make it THE Student Organization. Before we get into Bond villain schemes for campus domination, you must know the whole story. My interview with Alison took place on a late October night. I had planned on interviewing someone else for the magazine, but it fell through, and I needed a worthwhile replacement quickly. Alison instantly agreed and cleared her schedule with my minimal begging.

Sitting down with Alison, you are struck by how good she is at answering questions. There is always a well-thought-out response, and you hardly notice her struggling to think. With that observation, it was no shock to discover during our interview that Alison was a competitor in Miss Indiana. To reach that position, she had won the title of Miss Northwest Territory. During these competitions, she prepared and gave monologues as her talent. These monologues covered topics like Education and Mentoring. Alison let me know that at one point she had done speed painting but decided that wasn’t her talent. She refused to share pictures of said paintings, so I assume it truly isn’t her talent.

“So, is it like Miss Congeniality?” I asked with scholarly intent.

Alison replied with a look that made it seem she was asked that a lot. “No, it is not like Miss Congeniality”.

I quickly glanced back at my interview questions to avoid the awkwardness.

“So… you went to Harlaxton this past semester, right?”

This question seemed to mask my poor taste in the last and she launched into the topic. Alison had attended Harlaxton in the Spring of 2024. She told me that it changed her perspective on what she values. The experience taught her to live in the moment and not wait for the right time to travel.

I met Alison for the first time in Harlaxton after I joined SAB. She talked my ear off about how the old exec board used to have board game nights. 

“Oh, so do they have hot cocoa and wear plaid PJs as well?”

“NO! SAB is a very serious organization,” Alison said while typing on her pink MacBook with a Care Bear sticker stuck on the back.

This leads back to her explaining plans for campus domination with SAB as her tool. SAB is responsible for “Winter on Walnut” and “Purple Palooza” while holding monthly events. Alison gained her nefarious ideas from attending NACA her freshman year which is a national convocation for Campus Activities. She said that it taught her different events that can help pull together students. UE doesn’t have the same budget for SAB as other schools which has created added difficulty, but the convocation helped her expand the organization. Alison wants SAB to be an inclusive organization with programming for everyone. Her vision for the organization is to serve the student body.

“Eventually it will take off and people will see the hard work we’re putting in and want to be a part of it.”

Continuing down the long list, Alison told me about her involvement in Admissions Ambassadors. She feels giving tours reminds her of why she chose UE in the first place and continues to attend here. I asked why she would choose UE as a prospective student, and she responded that it was a school where Professors cared about you and your voice could be heard. She admitted that sometimes she wished she had a big school experience, but UE’s positives outweighed that feeling.

Ending out our interview, it became clear that Alison would be the poster child for a small school student. Without saying it, you could see that she was making the most out of her college experience. On a small campus, it’s easy to assume that you know most students, but there are so many people to meet and listen to.

“It’s not always about making the goal, but rather seeing how much you can grow as a person.”