By Sydney McDonald
Honors alumna Emily Zaremba ’23 is now working in a temporary full-time position as a housing specialist in App State’s University Housing, Administrative Services. Zaremba graduated with University Honors in December 2023 with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology with a concentration in human services and a minor in sociology. As an undergraduate, Zaremba also served as a resident assistant (RA) for two and a half years. Typically, over 10% of RAs on App State’s campus are Honors College students and campus leaders like Zaremba.
For her Honors thesis, “Media Portrayals of United States Olympic Athletes Discussing Mental Health,” Zaremba worked with Dr. Doris Bazzini, professor in the Department of Psychology, as her mentor. Laurie Rivera, senior lecturer and coordinator of clinical education in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, served as second reader. Zaremba described her Honors thesis as “a content analysis of articles discussing celebrities and Olympic athletes’ public discussion of their mental health struggles.” She specifically examined whether race or gender impacted the way the reporters discussed the given athletes’ or celebrities’ experiences in these articles.
About her Honors College experience, Zaremba shared,
“The Honors College helped develop and bolster my confidence in my abilities as a scholar and a professional. It helped me persevere through the challenges of balancing my work in University Housing and school.”
Zaremba furthered that the Honors College has also extended her professional growth and specifically helped her develop time management and leadership skills.
The daily tasks of being an RA change on a day-to-day basis, but the responsibilities include: promoting community within the residence halls, acting as the resident assistant on-call for emergencies or urgent needs, and working closely in a tight-knit team environment with other resident assistants. Zaremba described the RA role, and stated,
“University Housing gave me the unique opportunity to live and work on-campus and develop significantly personally and professionally. It allowed me to develop great friendships and relationships that were important for a time and for my lifetime. I got to learn and develop key crisis and conflict management skills necessary for my future career as a mental health counselor, and simply as a contributing human being.”
Zaremba shared the following advice for other Honors students interested in being an RA, “Time management and dedication to accomplishing your goals is key. . . Set deadlines for yourself and stick to them. Rely on your friends, coworkers, and mentors to support you and help you in the ways they can. . . Don’t be afraid to ask for help or accept it.”
Since graduation, Zaremba has transitioned to her new role as the housing specialist where she will serve until August 2024. Currently, Zaremba is gaining professional experience within this role, but following that, she is looking to gain more experience within the field of psychology. She is currently in the process of applying to master’s programs in clinical mental health counseling for fall of 2024.
Top Photo features Emily Zaremba. Photo Submitted
