This year, Valentine’s Day falls on a Monday, helping La Salle students to ring in the fifth week of classes and celebrate their relationships. While there is a lot of controversy surrounding Valentine’s Day, especially regarding its commercialization, there have been few accurate accounts of the history of the holiday. In 2011, the National Public Radio (NPR) published an article about the origins of Valentine’s Day. According to the article:
“From Feb. 13 to 15, the Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia…The Roman romantics ‘were drunk. They were naked,’ says Noel Lenski, a historian at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Young women would actually line up for the men to hit them, Lenski says. They believed this would make them fertile. The brutal fete included a matchmaking lottery, in which young men drew the names of women from a jar. The couple would then be, um, coupled up for the duration of the festival — or longer, if the match was right.”
Despite legends about Cupid, most people who celebrate Valentine’s Day are doing so to celebrate preexisting love. For La Salle students, there is no better opportunity than in the City of Brotherly Love. Across the Philadelphia area, businesses and social hubs are ramping up for the holiday. In the spirit of the origins of Valentine’s Day, readers are encouraged to engage in a different type of matchmaking. Listed below are 10 different holiday attractions; readers are invited to close their eyes, randomly select a number, and consider participating in that activity. Consider it fate! Or, feel free to peruse the list at your leisure, and determine if any of the activities feel like the right way to celebrate your best friend, romantic partner or even yourself! A list of upcoming events can be found below the picture of Cupid.
As a kid, his grandparents entertained a constant loop of game shows, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. Needless to say, such exposure nurtured an infatuation with game shows for Cory Anotado, ‘10. Over time, the La Salle alum has explored his passion via his hit blog, BuzzerBlog, and has also appeared on numerous game shows, from “Wheel of Fortune” to “The Chase” to “Jeopardy!” Nowadays, Anotado works for Dreamscape Marketing, a creative agency based in Baltimore that specializes in connecting businesses in the addiction treatment industry with those who need help the most. He also does some freelance graphic design, and has even designed a card deck that enables users to play multiple different games.
Anotado started BuzzerBlog in early 2005, before he started as a freshman at La Salle. His motivation was to create something that “reflected the modern game show fan’s sensibilities.” Anotado found that all of the game show news online was “written by a person who had an undying loyalty to old-school game shows, and who treated newer game shows with a haughty sense of disdain.” As the avid game show lover he is, he saw an underserved market — and opted to serve it himself. Since then, the blog has grown into an impressive, living artifact of the game show industry, employing a staff of writers who share Anotado’s passion. The staff includes Alex Davis, an old friend whom Anotado met through the game show fandom. Other staff members are Christian Carrion and Bob Hagh, two of Anotado’s closest and oldest friends. According to Anotado, his staff share similar visions for their blog, but each member carries their own unique sensibilities and viewpoints that enrich the site.
BuzzerBlog has grown to serve millions of viewers interested in the game show industry and culture. Over time, Anotado and his staff have had to adjust to their growing following. “As our audience has grown, so has our obligations — we understand that we’re speaking to a larger audience. It’s never changed our core emotions, just taught us empathy and wisdom.”
In addition to running a blog on the industry, Anotado has ample first hand experience being on game shows. He recalls filming “Wheel of Fortune” at the Wells Fargo (then Wachovia) Center, right in his backyard. He also appeared on “The Chase,” setting the record for the highest single-day winnings at $180,000. But it wasn’t easy; Anotado was paired with “two of the smartest people [he knows,]” a circumstance he recalls as “absolute kismet.” Most recently, he appeared on “Jeopardy!” alongside record-breaker Amy Schneider.
“Jeopardy!”
With all of his experience writing game show literature and competing on the shows themselves, Anotado has developed some hot takes on the industry as a whole. For one, “‘Wheel of Fortune’ has been boring for about 15 years.” (I couldn’t agree more.) He says that they need to do something; he suggests putting a video screen in the Wheel. Anotado also mentions that Bob Barker was way creepier than you remember; as someone who is only familiar with Drew Carey’s “The Price Is Right,” I’ll take his word for it. In fact, I was a HUGE fan of “The Price Is Right” and “Let’s Make a Deal” — I’ll admit that I even played hooky once or twice just to watch them live. But Anotado insists that most of the game shows you liked as a kid are actually not as good as you think they were… all those “sick” days for mediocre TV…
Lastly, Anotado opines that the absolute best video game versions of “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” were for the Wii. I cannot argue with him here; I stand by virtually everything that was ever made for the Wii.
Through it all, Anotado has kept in mind the Lasallian values that are so thoroughly instilled in our community here at 20th and Olney. His communication classes taught him the ins and outs of video editing; English classes gave him the writing background he needed “to become an actual real-live New York Times and Wall Street Journal-quoted journalist.” He stresses that without the digital art department, he wouldn’t be where he is today. The classes he took in that department taught him not only the technical and artistic skills he uses in his career, but also gave him the experience to deal with real-world art and design situations.
He also recalls his time as our very own Kicks editor of The La Salle Collegian, a position currently held by my good friend, Claire Kunzier. As the Kicks editor, Anotado once made a free version of La Salle “Monopoly,” where readers could cut the board out of the paper and then go to the myLaSalle server space to download money and cards to print out.
His advice to his fellow creatives: you are your biggest asset; specifically, the way you view the world is different from anyone else. “There’s no one who sees the world exactly like you. Design, especially — it’s art doing work. You get to make the art, and then you get to make it do the work.” It’s clear that Anotado is a master at making art do the work, as evidenced by his work for chalkboards at local bars to large interactive installations for Airbnb and video games for MTV. What’s more, Anotado encourages young creatives to find their motivation and stamina. For him and his friends at BuzzerBlog, what keeps them going is their fans and core audience, as well as the industry professionals who respect and admire what they do. Speaking of industry professionals, Ken Jennings once interviewed Anotado for his book, “Brainiac;” an interview Anotado conducted from La Salle’s very own WEXP studio in the Union.
To game show experts and those entirely unfamiliar with the industry, it is clear that Anotado has built an impressively creative career for himself, a career which started before he even stepped foot on La Salle’s campus. It was Anotado’s innate love for game shows that planted the seed for his fascinating career; La Salle nurtured this passion and helped Anotado build a creative, rewarding life for himself and his community.
Emma Krall, a senior psychology major and chemistry minor, is preparing for the next steps after graduation. For Krall, doing so entails navigating through medical school applications while promoting healthy living on and off campus. As the Director of Harm Reduction and Prevention for Phi Mu Fraternity and the Council Chair for Student Health and Service with the La Salle Honors Program, Krall has an extensive background in navigating conversations about sensitive topics, including mental health and the COVID-19 pandemic. Relating specifically to COVID-19, Krall is passionate about the dissemination of accurate, accessible information. Her combined interest in medicine, the COVID-19 pandemic and student wellbeing prompted Krall to create a 1 minute, 17 second video entitled ‘How mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines (Pfizer & Moderna) Work’.
Krall’s video was completed to fulfill the requirements of the La Salle Honors Project, a capstone assignment given to students enrolled in the Honors program. When reflecting on her work with the assignment, Krall said, “Because most of my undergraduate career has been centered around memorization and lab work, I wanted my Honors Project to be more on the creative side. During quarantine in Spring 2020, I began getting into digital art, graphic design, and animation as a hobby. My original idea was to create a digital series with the theme ‘Emotions During the Pandemic’ because COVID-19 had such a big impact on my life. However, this topic was extremely broad, and I did not know where to start. Right before I was supposed to have my first meeting…[for the Honors Project], I was scrolling on Instagram and saw that someone posted a COVID-19 vaccine animation. While the video was entertaining and encouraged vaccination, it was not biochemically correct! [The video] sparked my idea to create an animation that was scientifically correct while also being creative and entertaining. This idea seemed to join my passion for a career in medicine with my personal hobbies of art and animation.”
In developing her video, Krall worked with several La Salle University professors. Geoffery Beatty, a faculty member in La Salle’s Digital Art program, served as the project advisor. Krall cites Beatty as having helped her to “construct my overall project.” Krall also worked with professors Jason Diaz and Kelly Daily. Diaz, who teaches Integrated Business, Science, and Technology, helped Krall to understand how the vaccine works. Daily, a Communication professor, helped Krall to develop her communication style and incorporate important aspects of public health into the video.
Krall’s video is designed to make information about the COVID-19 vaccines more accessible, to promote understanding and encourage others to consider getting vaccinated. She said, “In my opinion, you should not need a background in medicine or science to understand how the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine works. Especially over the course of the pandemic, the gap of information between the medical community and the public has become very clear to me. I believe bridging this difference, through clear and accurate communication, can better vaccination efforts, promote stronger trust in science, and strengthen everyone’s understanding. I wanted to create an animation that could provide anyone with the terminology and proceedings of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines…I genuinely hope my video either convinced at least one person to get fully vaccinated or it made one person feel more comfortable and competent in understanding how the vaccine works.”
Krall’s video, as well as other artistic projects, are publicly available on her Instagram account @byemmacrawl.
Nov. 13 was packed with Homecoming events here on La Salle’s campus. Between the men’s and women’s basketball games, matinee of the Masque’s production of “Mavericks” or the festival on the quad, there was something for everyone. To close out the night, La Salle’s improv team Improv 101 put on a special show for all the family and alumni that stuck around through the day’s excitement. This wasn’t just a normal Improv 101 show, because the team brought some alumni of their own. Seven La Salle alumni who were once part of Improv 101 reprised their place on the stage of the Dan Rodden theater for a show to remember. Alex Crosby ‘17, Emily Ermer ‘18, Brian Gelbach ‘18, Mark Bisicchia ‘18, Mike Poggioli ‘19, Tom Harris ‘20 and Jack Rohr ‘20 fell right back into their Improv 101 roots and worked with the current cast to put on a wonderful show.
Improv 101 is an umbrella group of the Masque of La Salle that features a rotating cast of some of the most talented improv comedians at La Salle. They put on shows regularly during the semester and also offer improv workshops to the La Salle community where people can come join in on the fun. “Improv 101 is a lot of fun and helps my creative juices flow. It’s so much fun working with all of the improvers,” said Sanera Powell, a senior digital arts major and member of Improv 101. Powell is a relatively recent addition to Improv 101, but fit right in with the alumni cast and was able to get major laughs from the crowd.
Courtesy of Martin Redanauer
A longtime member of Improv 101, senior computer science student Sam Da Silva said that “the alumni haven’t lost their style at all, they were still incredibly funny and I hope our current cast was able to live up to their shenanigans.” Da Silva, who joined the team during his freshman year said that “being able to go up there on stage and just have some fun with friends is always a great time and I’m so glad I was able to find the team when I did.”
Although the cast, current and past, were able to fill the stage entirely, Improv 101 currently only has seven cast members, five of whom are seniors who will graduate this year. “You know most of the games we play during shows call for three to four people, and some of the bigger ones need up to six,” said Martin Redanauer, a senior psychology student at La Salle. Redanauer, who also joined the team when he was a freshman, is always trying to get new faces to show up to the improv workshops and have a good time. “Improv can be whatever you want, it really can. It’s just you sharing your sense of humor with everyone and letting loose on stage,” said Redanauer.
Courtesy of Sam Da Silva
“We’re honestly just a group of friends goofing off on stage,” said Kayla Stevens, a senior cast member, “We really enjoy being able to get up there and make people laugh and forget their problems for even just an hour.” Stevens, who improv acted as everything from a talking fish to a three-headed doctor during Saturday’s show, has a deep appreciation for the improv team, starting as a fan of the shows and eventually joining the team as a cast member.
Taking the improv stage for the first time at the alumni show was sophomore communication student Aidan Tyksinski who fit right in with the whole team despite never having met most of the alumni and tackling this talent-packed show as his first with the team. Tyksinski and junior Eila Nash, president of the Masque of La Salle, are recent additions to the team who will continue to carry on Improv 101 when all of the seniors graduate in the spring.
“At first, I liked doing improv because it was an opportunity for me to get on stage and make people laugh. But, as time went on, I got closer with the team and it became more about having fun with friends and now I can’t wait to get up there and joke around every show,” said Jon Colella, a senior communication student. “People should definitely consider joining the team because it’s provided me with countless memories and laughs that I will hold forever, more than any other club I’m a part of and I’m sure it would be the same for anyone who joins us up there,” said Colella.
“You don’t have to worry about anything, you just have fun with it and see what happens. You really never know where a scene is going to go. I just enjoy the ride and it always makes me happy,” said Da Silva when asked why those interested in improv should consider joining Improv 101 and attending workshops.
“The fact that we only have two members lined up for next year is a bit concerning,” said Redanauer when asked the same question, “but I’m sure we will be able to fill out the team because improv really is just something you can’t stop once you try it once.” Anyone interested in attending an Improv 101 workshop or learning more about the organization’s shows is encouraged to reach out to Redanauer at redanauerm1@lasalle.edu. You can also keep up with Improv 101 through the Masque’s social media pages: @themasqueoflasalle on Instagram and on Presence.
The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced life at La Salle in many ways, such as continued mask-wearing and social distancing. While these measures are critical in order for La Salle to remain safe and healthy, student organizations have suffered tremendously during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially as they try to recruit new members and build a sense of community on campus. However, as the semester has progressed, there has been an increase in the number of student-led programs taking place on campus, spanning organizations such as The Masque (who held a Meet the Masque event on Sept. 15) and Alpha Sigma Tau (who held an anti-hazing event on Sept. 28). Student leaders who are interested in hosting activities or meetings on campus are encouraged to contact the Campus Activities Center (CAC) for review of their event proposal.
The first step in the process is filling out an Information Request Form (IRF). Students can complete this form virtually or visit the CAC on the third floor of the Union to fill out a paper copy. The IRF will connect students with CAC staff for more information about hosting on-campus events. The IRF is also helpful for student org leaders who have not already received information on programming; protocols for holding events on campus were emailed to every known student org president. If a president of a student organization has not received programming information, it is because the CAC does not have their contact information. Leaders with questions or concerns are strongly encouraged to reach out to Mina Koller (utt@lasalle.edu) or Chris Kazmierczak (kazmierc@lasalle.edu).
After completing the IRF, students can make room reservations for their event. In order to do so, they need to access the Event Management System (EMS) or contact Kyra Spoto (spotok@lasalle.edu). In order to use the EMS, students need to create an account through the La Salle portal. Spoto, the Director of Union Services, can independently facilitate the reservation process or assist with EMS as needed.
There are two primary considerations for student-led events: the number of people and the presence of food. If a program will have more than 50 people in attendance or will offer food, the event needs to be reviewed by the CAC and La Salle’s COVID-19 Response Team. Student organizations who are interested in holding large events or having food at their events need to contact the CAC before reserving space. The event will be reviewed by CAC staff and they will contact the COVID-19 response team on behalf of the student org. Aside from the primary considerations, student leaders may also want to consider the size of the space they will need for appropriate social distancing and whether a university staff or faculty member should be in attendance. Currently, student organizations are not permitted to have guests from outside the La Salle community, but specific requests will be reviewed on an individual basis.
Finally, once an event has been approved and a space has been reserved, student organizations are responsible for utilizing Presence to track attendance. Presence, a campus engagement platform, is available to every student organization for keeping track of membership, events and attendance. For contact tracing purposes, a full list of event attendees must be uploaded within 12 hours of the conclusion of any event on campus. More information about Presence or EMS will be made available to student leaders who complete an IRF.
Koller and Kazmierczak, who serve the La Salle community as the Assistant Director of Campus Programming and the Director of Campus Life, respectively, understand that programming has extra layers and additional complications now because of public health. Both empathize with the difficulty student organizations are facing and want students to know the CAC is trying to make it as easy as possible for student orgs to get back on their feet. Koller strongly encourages students to ask questions if they need help with programming, saying, “Don’t stop yourself from asking questions. Don’t stop yourself from looking for ways to make your college experience better and more fulfilling…part of the college experience is learning how to navigate the world…[the CAC staff] are here to help guide that experience and provide resources for that experience.” CAC staff, resident assistants, commuter connectors, professors, and student workers are all resources who are able to assist student organizations and student leaders as needed.
Attached is a copy of the current COVID-19 Student Organization Reservations Protocols. These guidelines are subject to change based on community, state, or national regulations. Additionally, a visual representation of programming procedures has been provided. Student leaders and event planners are invited to reference the protocols and flowchart below as needed.
La Salle’s Panhellenic Council is the center of sorority life. All five social organizations are represented, and the different chapters come together to make decisions about Greek life at La Salle. All Greek organizations at La Salle participate in different philanthropic efforts, and the Panhellenic Council typically hosts an event each semester to promote the greater good. Previous events have included making dog toys for animal shelters and promoting body positivity. One of the most prominent issues the Panhellenic Council considers is recruitment, including formal recruitment weekend, which is held every spring, and the continuous-open-bid (COB) process. Alpha Sigma Tau, Alpha Theta Alpha, Delta Phi Epsilon, Gamma Phi Beta, and Phi Mu are all networking to recruit sophomore, junior and senior women as part of the COB process this fall, which is an informal opportunity to consider joining one of the chapters. In order to facilitate this process and familiarize the entire La Salle community with the five sororities, La Salle’s Panhellenic Council is hosting a Meet The Greeks event at 9 PM on October 6th.
Jessica Nass, the president of the Panhellenic Council, believes, “Meet the Greeks will be a great way to get acquainted with all the incredible organizations La Salle has to offer. I strongly encourage anyone who is even considering Greek life to join us at the event and see what sorority life is all about.” The Meet the Greeks event will be hosted virtually. To access the Zoom link, visit the Instagram page @lasallepanhellenic .
Erin Sweigert, a sister of Gamma Phi Beta who serves as a delegate on the Panhellenic Council, said, “I went Greek because I wanted to be in a community who accepts me for who I truly am and I’m so thankful I did! I found my forever people!”
Erin Holly, another delegate and sister of Alpha Sigma Tau, said, “My favorite part about Greek life is all of the friendships I have made, not only with my sisters but sisters of other chapters at La Salle!”
Jude Husein, a senior political science major, is a first generation American who moved to the United States with her two siblings at the age of three from Palestine. She still frequently visits her home country where her grandparents reside. She even once taught English at a refugee camp in Palestine for three months. Not only is she a first generation American, but she is also a first generation college student who transferred to La Salle from the Community College of Philadelphia. Since herself and her family has arrived in Philadelphia, she has certainly accomplished more than some fellow residents may do in a lifetime.
Pictured above is Jude with her family in Palestine.
Her interest in public service stems from her mother, an active and concerned citizen who would frequently voice her opinion at city meetings. Since she was seven years old, her mother would bring her to community meetings with the zoning board, interface committees and building committees. “When I was a kid, I would constantly complain about being dragged there, but over time I really began to value it.” Over time, Jude began to slowly pay attention to these meetings and support her mother’s positions and thoughts and began to take part in the meetings herself. At 14, Jude got her first position in a community, serving as a member of the South Kensington interfaith committee. At 17, she got her first board position on the South Kensington community board. Before coming to La Salle, she served as a U.N. youth delegate at the Youth for Human Rights International Conference as one of 70 delegates.
Pictured above is Jude (Left) at the young age of five standing up for what she believes in.
While Jude does enjoy the diversity of people in the classroom and hearing a variety of different viewpoints in Socratic circles, she focuses on getting an education outside of it in a more hands on way through civic involvement. “I find it’s a lot better to learn about policy through community involvement.” Currently, Jude works as the Chairwoman for Jobs and Economics for the mayor’s Philadelphia Youth Commission. She also works for two nonprofits, one of which is Caring For Friends, a nonprofit food bank, where she works as Director of Communication and Strategy. The other nonprofit she works for is the Civic Engagement Campaign for Arabic voters, which is organized by the nonprofit Al Bustan Seeds of Culture. She was once enrolled as a camper in Al Bustan’s camp program, and she serves as a project coordinator.
Jude speaking with commissioner Omar Sabir as they give out food in West Philadelphia.
When she isn’t working to improve her community, Jude spends her free time learning a variety of different skills and spending time with her siblings, who are her “mentors and best friends.” One of her most recent endeavors has been teaching herself to code from scratch. After struggling to learn at first, she eventually created her own website, judehusein.com, where she blogs and posts news articles involving Philadelphia, contact information and freelance consulting information.
While Jude certainly prefers learning mostly outside of the classroom, she does plan on seeking further education, whether that be a masters or a law degree. If you have not seen her around campus, keep an eye out, because you certainly may see her one day holding office.
Meghan Romano and Grace Gillespie ’22 after getting their COVID-19 vaccines at the FEMA site.
On Wed. March 17, the city of Philadelphia opened a walk-up vaccine center at the Philadelphia convention center to 22 zip codes in Philadelphia. Eligible zip codes can be found here. These zip codes were considered undervaccinated. The walk-up vaccinations are open to those who meet phase 1a and 1b criteria and can prove that they live in the zip codes using an ID card, a piece of mail with an address or a PHL City ID. The City of Philadelphia and SEPTA are teaming up to offer free roundtrip transit passes for those in the targeted zip codes. The Federal Emergency Agency (FEMA) is running this vaccine site. This site has been administering the Pfizer vaccine, but will soon begin using the single dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
La Salle University is included in these undervaccinated zip codes and some students were able to go to the FEMA site at the convention center and get vaccinated. Meghan Romano headed to the convention center early one morning and said, “Waking up at 5 in the morning was so worth it to go downtown and get my first dose of the vaccine at the Convention Center. The whole process was quick and painless and I’m excited to get my second shot soon!” Billy O’Brien used his off-campus address at La Salle to get the vaccine. O’Brien said, “I’m a food service worker so that did put me in phase 1b of vaccine rollouts. In general, the experience was quick and easy. There was no line, I went in and got my vaccine and left in all of 25 minutes. The military and FEMA’s doing a great job in running the operation.” Justin Lai was also pleased with his experience getting his vaccine at the Convention Center, saying, “it was a lot more organized than I thought it would be. Everyone there was super nice and helpful and I was in and out in 20 minutes.”
In addition to the site at the Convention Center, a new site has opened in South Philadelphia at the Grand Yesha Ballroom on the 2300 block of Snyder Avenue. This site has a goal of vaccinating 500 per day. The city also plans to open a second site in South Philadelphia soon. In addition, there are various city-run mass vaccine clinics throughout the city as well. These efforts are moving Philadelphia towards a pre-pandemic life. 150,000 have been vaccinated so far and more will be soon with the continued implication of mass vaccine clinics all over the city.
Emily Dorr, a junior history and religion double major, was adopted from Ukraine by her parents in 2002 and came to America by plane. Growing up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, she struggled to fit in and had trouble in school at a young age. Nonetheless, Dorr’s parents were very supportive. “My parents were always super involved in my education and I wouldn’t have gotten through it without them,” she said. Despite the struggles Dorr endured as a young child, one thing that stuck with her was the idea of service and social justice through the lens of Catholicism.
Pictured above are Dorr and her parents in 2004. (Photo courtesy of Emily Dorr)
Growing up, Emily was no stranger to La Salle University’s campus. Her mother, Mary Dorr, has been working at La Salle since 1999 as the assistant dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences and has also been actively involved with the neighboring Germantown Hospital as the director of nursing education for the School of Nursing in 1990 and the chair of education for the Germantown Hospital and Medical Center in 1992. Due to her mother’s position at La Salle, naturally, Dorr spent a lot of her time on our campus as a young girl, getting to know all the nooks and crannies of campus. While many students only call La Salle home for four years, Dorr had an “awesome experience” growing up on campus and said La Salle became a second home for her. “The Brothers would walk me around campus,” said the junior.
Dorr’s passion for service and for knowledge of the world continued throughout high school. She had the opportunity to visit Haiti, which provided a whole new perspective for her. “You got to physically see the fundraising and advocacy that we did, have an actual impact on schools there,” she explained.
With the importance of service and social justice instilled in Dorr at a young age, in conjunction with Mary Dorr’s long-term employment at La Salle, it should come as no surprise that Emily Dorr continues to be directly involved on campus. Dorr continued her service and advocacy work from high school at La Salle through her participation in the El Otro Lado LIVE Trip to El Paso to learn about the immigration crisis.
As a freshman, she began to participate in the La Salle University Neighborhood Tutoring Program where she worked to mentor and tutor students in the Germantown area. Additionally, Emily has worked as a La Salle tour guide, as a budget worker in the La Salle Transfer Office and as an Explorientation general leader.
When COVID-19 struck, many had trouble adapting, but Emily adapted quickly, juggling multiple activities this year including the Histories Club, working as an AIDS Outreach Coordinator, joining the Phi Mu Sorority and most notably, leading the Students’ Government Association (SGA) as a member of the e-board, first as the deputy chief of staff and currently as the vice president.
Through her involvement, Dorr’s dedication and desire to actively participate at our University, while creating change where she can, shows immensely. In the SGA specifically, she has worked to publish content revolving around COVID-19, promote the Pass/Fail petition alongside Emily Gaboriault and organize a Trash Bash in our surrounding community.
While planning these activities, she also has diversity and inclusion at the forefront of her mind, always providing her perspective regardless of what others may think. Dorr is consistently learning and advocating for social justice on her Instagram page and within her interpersonal relationships. “She always tries her best to be there for people and help people the best way she can,” Ronnie Matos, a former La Salle student, said.
Pictured above is Emily in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. (Photo Courtesy of Emily Dorr)
Dorr says that many of her humanities professors have strongly impacted her, but notes two specifically: professor of religion Maureen O’Connell and professor of history Carly Goodman. “Dr. O’Connell continues to inspire me to break down the barriers of creating sustainable, community-based change,” she remarked. “Dr. Goodman has really enriched my understanding of history in specific areas that I didn’t have previous knowledge in.”
In her spare time, Dorr enjoys drawing and singing and she also loves to travel, having gone to Poland, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Puerto Rico, Mexico and many other countries. In the future, Dorr would love to go to India to visit the Golden Temple and learn more about the Sikh peoples.
The La Salle Collegian 