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Real People Profiles: Tristan Oetker

We're asking some of the people you might encounter on the UMBC campus, including students, faculty, staff and alumni, to answer a few questions about themselves and their experiences. These are their responses.


Name: Tristan Oetker

Hometown: Annapolis, MD

Major: Information Systems


Q: How long have you been at UMBC?

A: Two Years


Q: What is your current title (job or student organization position)?

A: I'm the Student Government Association (SGA) Treasurer.

Q: In 12 words or less, what role(s) do you play on campus? 

A: I help student orgs receive funding and connect students on campus.

Q: What aspect of your UMBC role(s) do you enjoy most?

A: What I enjoy the most is meeting and understanding the needs of all types of students on campus. Alongside my role as Treasurer, I enjoy taking my day-to-day conversations with the student body and working on projects which benefit everyone.

Q: What is the most important or memorable thing you learned in college/have learned at UMBC?

A: 
A good friend of mine once said, "that the majority of what you learn in college will be taught outside of the classroom through the different experiences and encounters you will have with the thousands of students on campus," which is something that has always resonated with me. If I had not taken risks, meeting and working with new people, I would be without so many opportunities. 


Just because you can't write these experiences on a resume or equate them to a number on your transcript, doesn't mean that they're not equally valuable, with just as much to teach you.


Q: What is one way you have worked with others to make a positive difference at UMBC or in another community?

A: During my Sophomore year, my friend and colleague, Bryan England, was working on an environmental initiative on campus, which was to encourage professors to pledge to use more online submission. He asked me to help put together a presentation and appear before the Faculty Senate to present the idea, so we got down to work and after many moons, delivered a presentation which went over very well with various members of campus. Through this presentation, we were able to convince multiple professors to pledge to switch, saving students time and money.

Q: Complete this sentence: "I am a big fan of __________"

A: SGA, Wal-Mart brand Fruit Smiles, Arnold Palmer (Half & Half), UMBC Men's Soccer, UMBC Men's & Women's Basketball, Tracy McGrady, the Weeknd, Lil Boosie, the RAC Policy Committee, Salsaritas, General Washington, and the Timeline Theory.

Q: Do you have any UMBC stories, little-known facts about UMBC, favorite spots on campus, or anything else you’d like to share?

A: Favorite spots on campus: The RAC, SGA Office & Outdoor Basketball Courts

Co-Create UMBC is a blog for and about UMBC, written by David Hoffman and Craig Berger from UMBC Student Life. Join the Co-Create UMBC group on MyUMBC. Like Co-Create UMBC on Facebook. And follow David and Craig on Twitter.

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Posted: October 26, 2015, 9:42 AM