Heather McCutchen, a senior from O’Fallon, Mo., says getting involved on campus directly resulted in her great experience here at Southeast. With over 150 student organizations to get involved in, Heather says she had a hard time choosing what not to do rather than what to do.
“As an incoming freshman, getting involved on campus was one of the best ways to meet people with the same interests but diverse backgrounds and form lasting friendships. Now, as a senior, I am still trying to experience as many organizations as I possibly can.”
Heather got involved in residence life by becoming a CA, community advisor, and participating in activities sponsored by the Residence Hall Association. Intramural Sports gave her an opportunity to meet different people while staying physically active. And student government gave her a chance to better the campus community.
Heather was also able to participate in a short study abroad program through the International Business Department.
“One of the most exciting and memorable experiences here at Southeast was a cultural trip to London and Paris. I spent three days in each city over spring break and got credit for it! It was awesome. I hope to one day go back and spend a longer amount of time touring Europe.”
Heather is a senior child development major and hopes to become a Child Life Specialist at a Children’s Hospital. She says her broad range of experiences at Southeast have helped prepare her for the future. She is considering returning for a second degree in nursing in the future.
She has already completed a practicum at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. She completed 200 hours of work with children ranging in age from newborn to 18 years old. The practicum was focused on play therapy and recreational therapy for children.
“My main objective was to find activities the children could do despite their disability to normalize their hospital stay. I brought in games and interactive activities for the kids and I attended meetings to increase the success of the programs.”
Heather hopes to complete a 560 hour internship, also at Children’s Hospital, during the Spring Semester.