Why did you decide to come to JCU? I've always liked sports, and I have played field hockey since I was nine. My coach helped me find a school in California that was offering scholarships and had a good sports program. I got accepted into a program and played field hockey there for two years. I planned to stay in the US and go to a university on a sports scholarship. Unfortunately, I got injured during my senior year, which made it difficult to secure a scholarship. Coaches saw me as a risk, and the scholarships I eventually received were not enough to cover the cost of attending university in the US.
After finishing high school, I returned to Germany. For a while, I worked as a waitress, a bartender, and an assistant in a boxing studio. Then I started applying for internships. I got accepted for an internship in the communications and marketing department at the German Design Council. It was a turning point for me. At first, I was just translating texts from German into English. Then I started writing press releases, stories for the newsletter, and interviewing people. I helped organize some of the events and learned to use WordPress.
This internship allowed me to save up some money, and I started to look at schools in Europe that would accept my American diploma. That’s how I ended up at JCU.
Why did you decide to combine Communications with an International Affairs minor? I like talking to people, so I started looking into career opportunities that would allow me to do that. That's how I first became interested in communications. After my internship, I also discovered the field of public relations.
I chose International Affairs as my minor because I've always enjoyed discussing politics. I wanted to be able to talk about topics I find interesting, while having the factual knowledge and background to build strong arguments.
What inspired you to get involved in the Student Government? It all started because all my best friends were amazing leaders, serving either in the Student Government or in the JCU student clubs. They inspired me to get involved in university life. I wanted to be able to work on ideas that I had for JCU and implement them.
Lena Maderer
As a Communications and Media Studies Department Representative, I work with the department community and help bring their ideas to life.
Not long ago, a student emailed me, wanting to get the JCU newspaper, The Matthew, up and running again. I knew a few other people who were also interested, and I knew the professor who was previously the newspaper advisor. I connected the students with the professor, and they scheduled a meeting with the JCU president to discuss the idea.
Another example is the Media Society. They had an amazing idea to create a networking platform for artists and creatives at JCU. The platform allows students to connect and collaborate beyond the classroom. For instance, someone writing a film script can find actors or connect with people who have experience in cinematography. I shared some ideas with them, and we discussed how the platform could be structured. I also helped with its promotion, and they have since launched it. It's absolutely cool.
Tell us about your experience with the Women's Leadership Initiative. I hadn’t been part of WLI for very long before I became the president. I lead an amazing team. We are working on so many initiatives. For example, we have been working on installing new period product dispensers in JCU restrooms. We’ve been working on this project with the Student Government for a long time. Now we are working on posters with QR codes that we want to hang in the restrooms to inform students about places with affordable period products in Rome.
Another initiative we are working on is cap inserts for graduation. Not a lot of universities have cap inserts for hair that isn't straight, like locks or braids. Anybody who doesn't have straight hair and doesn't want to straighten their hair needs a cap insert to wear the graduation cap without issues. At a past graduation, I saw some of my close friends struggling to wear a cap. It is important to show that our university promotes diversity and cares about everyone. Being able to work on initiatives like this is one of the reasons why I'm very glad to be a part of this student club.
What are your plans for the future? I would like to take part in a study abroad program for a semester. After graduating, however, I would definitely like to take a break from studying. I'd like to learn a practical skill, such as plumbing or electrical work, that isn't dependent on language and would allow me to find work wherever I choose to live in the world.
Looking further ahead, I'd also like to create some kind of community-focused initiative, a cultural center, offering workshops for people of every age, but especially focused on kids, bringing people together and contributing to society.
