Written by Madeleine Jenness, Assistant Editor

Jaresiah Williams is stepping into the role of Director of Marketing previously held by Jorge Azpeitia. Jaresiah is a transfer student majoring in Media and Communications with a visual and media arts minor.

Below are the questions I asked them in an email interview. I have included all the questions I asked and all answers received for the sake of transparency as this is an opportunity and platform for the newly-elected members to self-describe themselves.

Q: What’s been your favorite pastime during the pandemic?

“My favorite pastime since the pandemic has definitely been diving into the entertainment sphere: movies and television shows take up a bunch of my time. Some of my favorites that I’ve watched over the pandemic are The Handmaid’s Tale, Insecure, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, and Native Son.”

Q: What in your life and college experience led you to run for Director of Marketing?

“I’ve had opportunities in my past that dealt with marketing, communications, outreach, advertisement, and graphic design. I’m also currently serving as a Digital Content Coordinator for the School of IAS, which is helping me to further develop skills in publicity, interviewing, marketing, advertisement, and graphic design. I chose to run for this position because I’m really passionate about serving others in any way that I can. I’m a people person and I love to communicate with others! As a transfer student that started school during the pandemic, it was so hard for me to build a sense of community for the first few quarters. One of my main goals for the upcoming school year is to help the student body have a great transition back to school.”

Q: What is something you want the community to know about you personally?

“I’m an open book and very low-key! I love getting to know new people through great conversations and I love learning about others. I’m someone that is always willing to help anyone to the best of my abilities! If you come to me for creative brainstorming, for advice, or just for help, I will always give maximum effort in whatever it is. 

Some fun facts:

My personality type is ENFJ.

My favorite foods are tacos.

My favorite genres of music are Jazz, Alternative R&B, and Soul.

One thing on my bucket list is to travel the world.”

Q: Your slogan is “Unity for our community.” This is similar to what both the incoming president and vice president-elect have expressed in their priorities. You have also expressed that “Due to our current climate, it may be difficult for new students to find a sense of community.” What do you hope to do in this upcoming year as we come out of the pandemic to build up a sense of community- especially on a commuter campus?

“I know that my position primarily exists within the boundaries of digital communication through email and social media, but for this position, I would really like to also be present in student spaces! I want the opportunity to build clear communication and relationships with students so that students can know and trust the ASUWB team! The best way that I know how to market is in person. I want to personate with students and help them know about benefits, resources, and opportunities that will help students excel! I desire to hold the door wide open for students so they feel that they feel welcome, that they belong, that they are seen and heard, and that they are supported!

Another thing that I hope to do is to build a stronger online community for students, especially for the students that decide to attend school primarily online. I would like to experiment and use a variety of social media platforms and apps to help engage students when they are away from campus! Whether it be experimenting with TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, or apps like Twitter, I want to make sure that the messages are coming across clearly and that students are engaged and feel connected to the UWB community.”

Q: Have you learned new things about marketing after a year of being online with Instagram becoming such a hot space for sharing information from campus events to vaccine information?

“Personally, I like to be entertained when I’m receiving information. I’ve noticed that Instagram users incorporate trends that grab people’s attention. I’m sure most people don’t always enjoy being given dense information all the time! So, incorporating memes, videos, photography, color, satire, funny trends, or things that young adults can relate to will help them to receive information better! When it comes to sharing important information it doesn’t have to be serious all of the time! What is most important is that the information is quick, clear, and well-received by others!” 

Q: What do you think society, especially the community on college campuses, will look like going into next year as we come out of the pandemic?

“I personally believe that people will be really happy to see each other and life will sort of get back to normal. However, if I can be frank, I think that there are going to be a lot of people who feel at liberty to take off their masks in public because of the vaccination. I don’t know if people are going to still continue social distance or if rules will be relaxed. I also feel that there are going to be many skeptics in social conversations about the vaccine and wearing or not wearing masks. It is also concerning because since there will be people going places without masks, how does society police who has and who hasn’t gotten vaccinated?”  

Q: Do you have anything else you would like to say to the community?

“I really appreciate that I have the opportunity to serve our community! I would also like to say thank you to those who supported me and those who took time out of their day to vote for our current team.”