Meet the Barn Staff: Victoria Bell
October 28, 2024
You go to the Big Red Barn Graduate and Professional Student Center for TGIF, Write-in, and trivia. You receive the Barn’s newsletter every Friday morning. Maybe you follow the Barn on Instagram. But do you know the staff who keep the Barn running day after day?
Now’s your chance to get to know the people who make sure that you get to enjoy and stay up-to-date on all the fun things happening at the Barn!
This week, we’re highlighting Graduate Student Life Coordinator Victoria Bell.
What are some of your day-to-day tasks as graduate student life coordinator?
Ensuring that the Barn is running smoothly in the second half of the workday is my priority. This can be anything between scheduling events, putting away inventory, or assisting with our daily bar service. I work through communications internally from staff as well as externally with our student organizers. I maintain our social media presence including our weekly newsletter. You can catch me running around the Barn in bedazzled glasses handling business!
What plans do you have for the Barn’s social content?
As a previous local influencer in my hometown, San Francisco, I have some big plans for the Barn’s content. To keep the element of surprise, all I can say is photo shoots, pinned posts, and our first reel series!
What is the best part of working at the Barn?
It makes my heart glow to see the Barn help foster connections in the graduate student community. Seeing friendships form, hearing laughter—it makes every day worth it. If I am ever struggling to get something done, I simply step out of my office and remember why I do what I do by seeing the smiling faces of you all!
Why did you choose to work at Cornell?
Before getting my job offer, I decided to follow my fiancé to New York from California to support them throughout their master’s. I applied to over 20 jobs before getting my finalist interview for the Barn, and as soon as our call ended, I knew this was the place for me. At the time I was working in my alma mater’s student union, and I knew I had the skills necessary to make lasting change at the Barn. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be here!
When do graduate students have a chance to interact with you and what might these interactions look like?
As a full-time staff member, students can find me at the Barn Monday through Friday from 2 p.m. to close. I am always available to answer any questions, lend a listening ear, or provide advice! Most often, though, I am here when students check in for events and provide support for our staff working these gatherings. Anytime you’ve got a question, I’ve got an answer!
What excites you most about this role?
My passion lies in events, and my dream is to own my own events planning company in the future. A solid portion of my time is spent focused on the 500+ events we have annually, and some of the work I do includes planning, preparing, staffing, setup, and take down depending on the event’s needs. I am currently working on some Barn programming that I think will add some sparkle to our current rotation of events and can’t wait to share with you all.
Which Barn event have you most enjoyed attending since you started in this role?
As a busy bee, I have only been able to attend a Latin dance session, and it was spectacular! I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun night of dancing and friendship-making, as many of the dancers are regulars. I am most looking forward to our upcoming annual Diwali event on Nov. 9 which I expect to be a huge success!