“I cried. Then I called my mom.”
That was Anna Crisp’s reaction when she was selected by Ohio Gov. John Kasich as the new student trustee at The University of Toledo.
Crisp
“It has always been a passion of mine to be the voice of others whose voices may not otherwise be heard,” she said. “Now I’m the voice for 24,000 students, which is very intimidating to me but also an incredible opportunity.”
Crisp, who will hold the position until July 1, 2017, is looking forward to educating students about the student trustee position and helping them better understand what the Board of Trustees does.
“I think a lot of students have no idea that the position exists, and that’s troubling to me because as a student, you should feel that you’re represented in some way and that you have someone that’s speaking on your behalf,” she said.
One of the ways she plans to connect with students is through student organizations and a relationship with Student Government.
“We have hundreds of student organizations on campus, and I think that’s a logical avenue to go down to reach a larger amount of students,” she said.
When she’s not fulfilling her student trustee duties, Crisp will be busy making an impact in other ways. She is involved with several organizations such as International Service Learning, which has allowed her to go on two medical mission trips; Mortar Board Honor Society, where she helps with the annual Wrap Up Toledo event; and Food Recovery Network, an organization she helped start at UT that collects excess food from restaurants and dining halls and takes it to Toledo’s hungry.
On top of that, Crisp recently accepted a part-time position at The University of Toledo Medical Center as a patient advocate student assistant in the Department of Service Excellence. She will be helping to improve patient care by building relationships with patients and helping them connect with their physicians.
When asked why she is so involved at UT and why she thinks other students should do the same, her answer is simple.
“It’s your future,” she said. “Take advantage of your time here. If you spend four years here and get the degree but that’s it, is that all that you wanted to get out of college?”
