Many of you already know Sarah and Matt, our two candidates for finishing the year as Vice President. Though we chose not to include portraits (they both put the current administration to shame), we’d like to share with you a little info on who they are and why they would each make an excellent VP. Please remember that elections will take place at our next monthly meeting, Feb 4th at 5:30pm. Without further ado…
Sarah Doty
Hello All!
My name is Sarah Doty, I’m a first-year student in the Graduate Program for Marine Biology (GPMB), and I’m honored to accept the GSA Vice Presidential nomination.
A little bit about me:
I just moved to Charleston in August to start school. This is the first time I’ve ever been to East Coast, other than Florida (but I count that as South, not East Coast). I was born and raised in Kansas City, MISSOURI – not Kansas. (Other than the new Nascar racetrack, any tourist destinations are on the Missouri-side of the stateline, and should you ever find yourself in Kansas City, Kansas, be sure to lock your doors!)
I got my B.S. in biology from Missouri State University in Springfield, MO, which is just 3 hours south of KC. Fun fact: Cashew Chicken, a popular dish served in Chinese restaurants everywhere, was devised in Springfield, MO.
After graduating from Missouri State, I decided to take a break from school for a couple of years, and moved home to KC. I worked as an aquatic laboratory animal technician at a growing medical research institute, Stowers Institute for Medical Research (keep an eye out for it in the news – a lot of basic cell biology breakthroughs are on their way!), for 3 years. But eventually, I got bored with “the real world” and decided to return to school to pursue my passion I’d had since I was a little girl: marine biology.
And that’s how I ended up here. Since this is the furthest, and most permanent (there are no oceans near KC), I’ve been away from home and friends, I decided to throw myself head first into the activities and programs the GPMB offered, including MBGSA, to meet new people. I was fortunate enough to be elected by the MBGSA to be the GSA intern/delegate for this school year.
I’m not sure how much you all are aware, but the GPMB is centered at Fort Johnson on James Island, kind of isolated from the rest of the College. It is for this reason, and many others, that I would be happy and privileged to fill the vacant Vice Presidential seat – I need to meet and interact with people outside of the GPMB!
A couple of qualifications:
I was a nerd in high school, and was on the debate/forensics team for 3 out of 4 years. For those of you who weren’t nerds in high school, or just weren’t on the debate/forensics team, you should know there are essentially three categories of competition: debate, forensics, and student congress. I won’t go into detail, but student congress was basically a mock congress and was run by parliamentary procedure and Robert’s Rules of Order. So, to make a long story somewhat shorter, I have background knowledge of parliamentary procedure and the Rules by which to run our monthly meetings…and assuming I can find my debate notebooks and RRO cheat sheet, I can and will brush up on those.
I’m an orderly, organized, detail-oriented person who enjoys having fun, laughing, and making sure others are doing the same. I try not to take myself too seriously and look on the bright side of life, even when it’s rainy. I am an excellent team member, but also self-motivated and sufficient, and pay my bills on time – taxes on the other hand…hahaha, just kidding!
That being said, I thank you for your time and attention, and wish you the best of luck this semester – especially those of you planning to graduate!
Matt McDonnell
Matt McDonnell, a native of Scranton, PA, holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Colgate University. He is currently an MBA candidate where he serves as a research assistant for an associate dean and the chief operating officer of the MBA Association. McDonnell has been fortunate to have extensive experience living and studying abroad in Turkey and Scotland as well as spending more than two months living and working aboard a scientific research vessel with Sea Education Association. He is looking forward to traveling to China with his classmates this spring.
McDonnell began working as an Outward Bound sailing instructor during college and has worked in the fields of education and organizational development since graduation. In his most recent position as the Program Director for the South Carolina Maritime Foundation, he created and secured funding for both a summer drop-out prevention and afterschool program. These programs are offered free of charge to low-income, eligible students identified by the Charleston County School District as being at risk of not graduating on time. While pursuing his MBA, McDonnell continues to operate his grant writing business, maintain his US Coast Guard Masters License, and train for and race in local and regional triathlons. He plans to begin law school in 2011-2012.