Student Spotlight

coe Student Lands "Intern of 2007" Award

Brittany Buxton recognized for directing new-student orientation in her supervisors’ wake

Brittany Buxton speaks at the Ohio University Women's Center

(Nov. 28, 2007) Athens, OHIO – When Brittany Buxton headed to Loyola University New Orleans, she was looking forward to a summer internship. Within a few weeks, she took an unexpected leading role as ad hoc director of new-student orientation. Her grace and competence under fire recently won her the “Outstanding Intern of 2007” from the National Orientation Directors Association (NODA).

Buxton, a PCOE master’s student in college student personnel from Worthington, Ohio, had landed an internship with Loyola’s New-Student Orientation Office. She was aware at the time that it was an office in flux.

“I knew there would be some changes because they had hired a new VP for Student Affairs the year before, but I didn’t know to what degree,” Buxton said.

The change turned out to be dramatic. According to Loyola Associate Director of Co-curricular Programs Hollie Chessman, both of Buxton’s supervisors resigned within three weeks of her arrival, following a reorganization in Loyola’s Division of Student Affairs.

This left Buxton as the most experienced – in terms of orientation work – among just four full-time professionals during the university’s summer orientation rush.

“With this change came a major shift in Brittany’s role and responsibilities,” said Chessman, who became Buxton’s supervisor. “She was, for all intents and purposes, the senior orientation administrator at Loyola. Her responsibilities skyrocketed, and she took it all in stride with grace and professionalism.”

Buxton did more than deftly juggle her responsibilities as orientation coordinator, registration supervisor, and liaison for students, parents and administrators. She also helped organize and supervise a new leadership retreat for campus leaders “to do some goal-setting, focusing on the overall vision of the university,” as Buxton said.

“Throughout my weeks with Brittany, I was more than impressed with her dedication to making orientation a success,” Chessman said. “My only regret is that I was not able to hire Brittany and get her to stay at Loyola New Orleans because she had to finish graduate school.”

To recognize her accomplishment, Chessman nominated her for the “Outstanding Intern of 2007” NODA award, which she received at the annual NODA conference in Dallas, Tex., in late October.

“One guy on the (award) committee told me that the committee members all said they might have left in that kind of situation,” Buxton said. “I never saw that as an option. I would have lost out on a great personal experience.”

Buxton, who also serves as Graduate Student Senate Vice President for Committees and Legislative Affairs at Ohio, has more than three years’ experience working for Precollege at Ohio University, but her Loyola internship gave her a new perspective – not only on student orientation, but on life in general.

“I can definitely say that I understand orientation on a different scale now, but also I feel like I could go anywhere and deal with just about any new, unexpected situation,” she said.

Buxton earned her bachelors degree in philosophy (pre-law) from Ohio University. After graduation, Buxton will pursue an administrative career in university student affairs.

By Anita Martin