Alcala Yearbook 1993-1994

Michelle Watson, VP Finance

"Out of the sea .. .wish I could be...part of your world," sang Michelle Watson, A.S. Vice President of Financial Affairs. This sweet tune from The Little Mermaid motion picture soundtrack (and also Michelle's self-proclaimed anthem), may not epitomize the difficult, number crunching job that belonged to Michelle this year. Over half a million dollars passed through her very capable hands. All of that money funded various student organizations, clubs, and programs that directly affected every student on campus in a big way, although many of us did not realize it. In a sense, Michelle was a part of our worlds. Don't be deceived by the stereotypes that go along with being good with numbers. Michelle, a future big-six accountant, isn't strapped to her ten-key calculator all day long, doesn't wear thick glasses with tape wrapped around the middle, and isn't glued to the business pages of the newspaper. She's fun-loving, she's attractive, her voice is like a bell, and she's really very sweet. Although she likes to have a good time, she put a lot into her A.S. job. She had to constantly stick to a strict schedule. She worked countless hours on the Associated Students' financial affairs. She made numerous trips to the financial departments on campus and, on more than one occasion, had to deal with making the subject of money easier to handle for the people with whom she would come in contact. "Being involved with money is very challenging," said Michelle. "Money matters tend to scare people and I would always try to interact with people without being too intimidating." Michelle was responsible for keeping her grades up and handling the residents in Camino/Founders where she was a resident assistant. Add to that the responsibilities of an A.S. Vice President, and you have one very busy and very involved student. Even though Michelle loved being directly involved with the students on campus, she still remained focused on the main reason that she was here. "I really appreciated the education that was given tome. lam very confident about the 'next step'--life after graduation. My experiences at USD, inside and outside of the classroom, have really prepared me for what's ahead." Everymachine has something thatmakes itwork. Cars have engines. Televisions have tubes. Computers have chips. The Associated Students have Kristin Skow. Ofcourse, things can't revolve around one thing or one person. If any part of amachine is broken, the entire machine won't work. However, there's always that one piece of the puzzle that brings it all together. Kristinwas one of the people that brought the individuals inAS together, andmade them the team thatmakes everything happen atUSD. One of the ways that she accomplished this , was through planning a retreat weekend for the AS members. You'd expect Kristin to be a really commanding person-someone who takes charge of asituation and really takes the bull by the horns. And it is true, Kristin is the driving force in AS. The surprising thing about her is that she's really quiet and extremely laid back. She doesn't like to be in the spotlight. She's shy. However, the fact remains that she performs herjobwell. ShekeepsAS inbalance. Thatsaysalotabouthercharacter. Shecanbea leader without saying a whole lot. That takes a lot of presence and a lot of personality, two things that Kristin has to spare. Kristin also has a lot of energy to spare. Not only was she involved in AS in her Junior and Senior year, but she was also a member ofCampus Connections and the Alcala Chili. Part of the reason she is involved in different aspects of campus life is that she believes in trying everything. "I can't give up on anything without trying it first," said Kristin. "I don't ever want to leave anything undone." Kristin believes that being involved in school is a great opportunity for self-discovery. "Life is all about finding your talent and using it to make a difference," explained Kristin. Everyone needs to get away from it all at one point, and Kristin is no different. "I really like just spending time with my friends. We don't have to do anything really exciting. Renting videos or just sitting around and talking is nm enough for me. I also really love to be around children." Beingabletodependonone'sselfisveryimportanttoKristin. "Whenallissaidanddone, I'mresponsible for me. I've learned somud1 here at USD that depending on myself isn't so hard. This sd1ool has made sure of that."

Kristin Skow, VP AS Relations

Associated Students ~