Negrete redefines ULV leader role
Campus Times
November 13, 1998
Senior Melissa Negrete takes time out of her busy schedule to lead
a Latino Student Forum (LSF) meeting. Negrete is serving as the LSF president
and as a resident assistant (R.A.) in the Oaks Residence Hall. She has been
involved in Orientation, a part of the Senior Retreat Committee and was
a grad marshall for Commencement.
When talking to senior Melissa Negrete, one can quickly figure out that
she is probably the most giving person at the University of La Verne.
With all of the activities she is involved in, and the time she puts
into each organization, Negrete seemingly never has a free moment at ULV.
"It's hard to manage schoolwork and extracurricular activities;
you have to balance them out" she said. "So I had to learn to
pick and choose, and learn how to manage my time effectively."
She manages her time in a way that leaves plenty of hours for studying,
and her schedule has paid off, as Negrete has been on the Dean's List nearly
every semester she has attended the University.
Currently, she is president of the Latino Student Forum (LSF) and a
resident assistant (R.A.) in the Oaks.
Negrete began her involvement with LSF in the spring of her freshman
year. And she said that participation has gained attendance in the last
couple of years.
"There were maybe like four or five people involved," said
Negrete of LSF's involvement when she joined her freshman year. "I
came in during a time in the spring when they do a spring dinner called
the Bienvenida Dinner.
The annual dinner is a welcome dinner for latino families of ULV students,
and it intends to make the parents feel comfortable at La Verne.
"It's a dinner to thank the parents for their support," Negrete
said. "A lot of times latino families don't feel connected with the
college campus, because sometimes, unfortunately, they have never really
been to college, so they don't know how it [college] goes."
Aside from LSF, Negrete has been a leader in other areas of the University.
During her sophomore year, she was an Orientation Week Leader (O.W.L.)
and became O.W.L. co-coordinator in her junior. That same year, Negrete
was on the Senior Retreat Committee and was a grad marshall for Commencement,
for which she had to organize events, like baccalaureate, for the seniors.
And as the junior representative for the Senior Retreat Committee, she planned
the activities seniors participated in at Pilgrim Pines.
"I went up there [as a junior], and it was snowing, it was really
neat," Negrete, who is also the senior representative for the Senior
Retreat Committee. "I was a junior then, so I know what to expect.
But I think we'll make it different."
As a diversified major with a theater emphasis, Negrete wants to be
a teacher. But she does not want to forget the lessons learned in her time
spent in the theater, working mainly backstage. Negrete, however, did direct
a one-act play for her directing studio class.
Even though Negrete was the focus of this feature, she said she does
not want to forget about the people who have helped her and made an impact
in her life during her career at ULV.
Those whom she named as having an "influence in a positive manner"
in her life are her adviser Jane Dibbell, associate professor of theatre
arts; her theater influences Dr. David Flaten, professor of theatre arts,
and Beth Pietrzak, theater technical director; Catholic Campus Minister
Elena Cardeña, Julie Thurman-Francisco, program coordinator in the
Office of Housing and Residential Life; Cres Gonzalez, LSF adviser; Marcy
Garcia, administrative assistant at the International House; and Kate Mueller,
coordinator of student development programs.
