Crystal Watts has the BEST Board distinction of being both a master’s degree candidate and an interim administrator. A nontraditional student, Crystal returned to college to pursue her master’s degree after years in the workforce. Near the end of the Spring ’23 semester, Crystal’s maturity and experience earned her a BEST Board nomination. That nomination was based on her many accomplishments as the graduate assistant for the Community Engagement Office within Student Activities. Among those achievements was initiating and overseeing the Stomper Bookcase Project that working with Sigma Nu fraternity, placed children’s reading materials in local laundramats. Crystal’s other involvements include leading Alternative Spring Break service adventures, and assisting with Rake The Town, Holiday Carnival, Free Farmers Market and other CEO initiatives. Following this summer’s retirement of CEO Assistant Director Karen Anderson, Crystal was a knowledgeable and likely candidate to step in as Interim CEO Assistant Director. As she maintains continuity and advances CEO programming, we look back at her BEST Board reflections.
Name: Crystal Watts
Home: Mankato, Minn
Graduate Program: College Student Affairs: Counseling and Student Personnel
Graduate Date: May 2024
Campus Involvement: Graduate Assistant for Community Engagement Office, Student Advisor for Mavs in Action, Campus Kitchen, overseeing the Stomper Bookcase Project and Alternative Spring Break
How has campus involvement and/or campus employment enhanced YOUR COLLEGE EXPERIENCE?
Working as a Graduate Assistant for the Community Engagement Office has reshaped my idea of campus life. I didn’t receive the traditional education and I love watching students go through their educational process alongside one another. Mentoring students through challenges and encouraging their growth has helped me put newly learned skills to use as I work toward a master’s degree in College Student Affairs.
How has campus involvement and/or campus employment enhanced YOUR FUTURE?
The Community Engagement Office has connected me with many different departments on the MNSU campus. I never dreamed I would lead students on road trips or help create new programs. Being invited into strategic planning and community partnerships have set me up for what capacity building on and off campus looks like in a college setting. The networking alone is beneficial.
How has campus involvement/campus employment enhanced YOUR LIFE? How are you different today than you were on your first day of college.
I wake up every day knowing I have a path forward and the support to accomplish my goals. I have never had the wraparound student support that I do here in higher education. As a nontraditional student with many years in the regular workforce, I can say my life is richer and more purposeful because of my experiences here.
Provide one or more detailed examples where your campus involvement/work experience made you a better leader.
As the student advisor for Mavs in Action, I was tasked with bringing this group out of the Pandemic and back into regular functioning. This was difficult because the pandemic hit just as the group was finding their stride. We had to rethink how we engage future leaders and reach out to students who value community service. This led to a whole new hiring process and a newly created mission/vision statement they can lean on year after year. Mavs in Action now have a framework to function and carry on long after I am gone.
What advice would you share with fellow students in helping them make the most of their college experience?
Say yes. Say yes to possibility. Say yes to collaboration. Say yes to the unknown. Say yes to new ideas. Give yourself permission to think big. And give yourself permission to learn through failure. This is the place, and this is the time. Don’t wait for someone else to lead the charge if you can see possibilities.
Throughout your college experience at Minnesota State Mankato, what has provided the greatest personal growth, memories, satisfaction and/or personal pride.
Daily conversations and interactions with staff and students. I never know what will come from a coffee run at Starbucks or attending a special event. My classroom conversations and friendships with cohort members will stay with me always.
Share a special “lifelong” memory of college you will take with you when you leave Minnesota State Mankato.
The Stompers Bookcase project. It was a true honor too work with Sigma Nu to create and establish a legacy piece for this group of students.
