- Adena Kleiner
- Esty Munk
A d e n a K l e i n e r
I’m Adena Kleiner, a first year sophomore hailing all the way from Teaneck, NJ. I went to Ma’ayanot for high school and spent last year learning in Israel at Midreshet Lindenbaum. I am an undeclared poli-sci major with the hopes of becoming a pediatric cardiologist. I love, singing, headbands, and black CAWFEE (I have ran around midtown in search of an open Starbucks at 4 AM in my pajamas-true story.) I am known for my spontaneous karaoke parties, my love for business attire, and my ability to survive on almost zero sleep. If you’re up at 3:30 AM and need a friend–I’m your girl. I love going to student-run events and shiurim and have found my involvement in various aspects of student life specifically in the Philosophy Club, the Torah Scholarship Lecture Series, Project START, and Model UN, have enhanced my experience at Stern. Most of all, I can’t wait to contribute my innovative, creative, and fun ideas to SCWSC as your Corresponding Secretary!!
SCW: Describe one goal you want to accomplish for the student body and tell us how you would accomplish that goal.
“Everything just seems so YC-centric...”
One of the most common complaints heard around Stern College is the fact that girls feel that they attend “the unloved step-child” of YU’s institutions. Obviously, I commiserate with my fellow Stern girls. However, I think that their complaint highlights an even more pressing issue: the lack of Stern pride. I believe this issue can be ameliorated from within the walls of 245 Lex. As Corresponding Secretary of SCWSC, I plan to create events and push agendas that embolden Stern students to be excited by their experience downtown and, therefore, be proud of their college. This can be approached from both an academic and a social/cultural stance. In terms of academics, I believe there needs to be ways to showcase the achievements Stern students are making in the humanities and arts in addition to the sciences (not everyone is a pre-med, shocker-I know.) Students need to recognize that there is more than one type of Stern girl, and each type can be successful in any career she chooses.
The paucity of pride in Stern can also be addressed in areas other than academia. I recently attended SO YOU THINK STERN CAN DANCE and was overwhelmed by the tremendous talent my peers have. The amount of Stern pride in the room was inspiring, yet, unfortunately, this feeling felt somewhat foreign. To address this issue I think it is necessary to facilitate events that allow Stern students to cultivate and display their incredible talents, talents that cannot be found uptown.
One specific event I have in mind to showcase the incredible abilities of some of the fabulous women of Stern would be “The LexAve Gallery,” a chic and sophisticated night showcasing the artwork of the many talented and creative individuals in our midst. In addition to viewing the beautiful works of their peers, students will have the opportunity to attend workshops given by the artists so that the guests will be able to get a real sense of the incredible effort and talent it takes to produce an original piece of artwork. In addition to enjoying the art, LexAve guests will be able to eat fabulous hors d’oeuvres and sip some swanky mock-tails. Business-chic attire requested.
Hopefully events like these will be able to cultivate an atmosphere where students are proud to be a part of the community, and of our strong, smart, and successful Stern Women.
SCW: You have planned a huge event, but you wake up the morning of the event with a migraine. How do you ensure a quality event even though you cannot personally attend?
To borrow from a popular phrase, a successful event is one part inspiration, nine parts preparation. Before any event I would make sure to have as many details prepared, including the tasks of each of the organizers and how the event should run. Hopefully with this prior structure in place, on the day of the event only minor confirmations and simple adjustments would have to be made. A major element of being prepared will be to communicate to the other event organizers what needs to be done a clearly as possible. Before the event I would type up a to-do list, to guarantee that nothing is missed. Additionally, I would go over this to-do list with another member of my committee; obviously, I could never run an event alone, it’s always a team effort. If I could not attend the event personally, I would call in with my team periodically to finalize all the details and to ensure that everything is running smoothly. But the backbone of getting the event to work would be the trust and communication I would have developed among my team, along with the preparation we would have done beforehand. Then finally, from my bed, I’d stalk the event’s twitter feed, wishing that I could be a part of all the fun and excitement.
SCW: One of your clubs has two club heads. You know that one is doing all of the work and "doesn't mind," but the club really needs both heads to be on their "A-game" in order to succeed. How do you proceed?
In order to avoid this awkward situation I think it is vital to meet with the club heads, both individually and separately. By meeting with them separately I will be able to identify these types of “group-dynamic” problems before they manifest themselves. I would simultaneously work to impart the message that each club head’s ideas and work is valuable and unique in its own right. In meeting with the club heads together, I would be able to observe if they work together well as a cohesive unit. Additionally, by requiring them to meet together, I would be sending the message that teamwork is the key to success. Most importantly, I would constantly stress how communication must be open, honest, and respectful, because that is the key to any successful endeavor.
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E s t h e r M u n k
Growing up with seven siblings, I often marveled at our differences, despite our similar upbringing. Throughout my first year at Stern, I came to a similar realization. Although many of us were brought up in Jewish homes, we are still different. The best part about my experience has been meeting and becoming friends with students from all different backgrounds and upbringings. Experiencing friendship with such diversity has helped me become a better person and leader. The best extracurricular activities are the ones when we come together as a group to showcase our talents. There is no one as good as us! As for me, I enjoy reading books or watching a good chick-flick (horrors scare me!). I love to laugh and have a good time. I like chocolate better than vanilla, and I am awake most hours of the night (doing work of course :P). I hope to one day live in Israel working as a nurse practitioner. As corresponding secretary, I expect to devote most of my time to ensuring that you enjoy your college years to their fullest capacity, so taking on any other commitments would be unfair to you. Most of all, I love you guys!
SCW: Describe one goal you want to accomplish for the student body and tell us how you would accomplish that goal.
SCW: You have planned a huge event, but you wake up the morning of the event with a migraine. How do you ensure a quality event even though you cannot personally attend?
I believe one of my greatest strengths is my ability to maintain cohesion as a team, while simultaneously acting as a team leader. During my senior year of high school, I became the director of the school play and I quickly learned that the success of the play was directly correlated to the strength of the teamwork, and I envisioned my role as facilitator of that. I believe that if I would plan an event, I would work closely with other members of student council, to help maximize the greatest potential for the event. I would be surprised if a migraine stopped me from attending an event (just ask my family and friends), but in this case I believe I would ensure the quality event by confirming last minute details with team members, and ensuring vicariously through them that things were running smoothly. However, having worked with my team all along, I would ultimately trust them to fulfill my vision.
SCW: One of your clubs has two club heads. You know that one is doing all of the work and "doesn't mind," but the club really needs both heads to be on their "A-game" in order to succeed. How do you proceed?
Open communication seems key to effective leadership. In a scenario when two clubs are to be working together for the most efficient results and one club seems to be shirking some of the responsibility, as a leader it would be my duty to call both groups together. During this meeting I would convey the importance of both teams working together and dividing the work more equally. During the meeting I would urge the clubs to break down the larger task into smaller tasks and encourage that during the meeting each club take on different assignments, highlighting the importance of working together.
