As a rising senior, Cassie Cuddihy already has more time-management skills than most others of her age.

While juggling the everyday responsibilities of being a full-time undergraduate student, Cassie continued to be involved in several organizations on campus, in addition to holding internship positions. She interned with the Eagleton Institute of Politics in 2020, and helped to promote voter registration among younger individuals. She was also a member of the Rutgers University Programming Association, Captain of the Scarlet Ambassador Team, and a liaison for undergraduate admissions and a tour guide. Cassie was able to balance all of these roles while maintaining a 4.0 GPA, as well as participating in research teams and co-authoring a conference presentation. This summer, she will be interning for the Rutgers Major Events and Programming Office.

Rutgers recognized Cassie for her accomplishments by awarding her the Spirit of Rutgers Award. She received the award at the Chancellor-Provost’s Student Leadership Gala on May 4, 2022.  She was nominated for the award by Associate Professor of Communication Maria Venetis.

Read below as Cassie shares the reasons she enjoys being a SC&I student, how she effectively manages her time, and her plans for the summer!

SC&I: Introduce yourself! What are you studying at Rutgers?

CC: Hi there! My name is Cassie Cuddihy and I am a rising senior majoring in Communication and minoring in Digital Communication, Information and Media. I am a student in both the School of Arts and Sciences as well as the School of Communication and Information. In this past year at Rutgers, I have served as the Director for the Community Service Committee for Rutgers University Programming Association, Resident Assistant for Rutgers Residence Life on College Avenue, Captain for the Scarlet Ambassador Undergraduate Admissions team, and member of the Rutgers Voorhees Choir. Additionally, I have been a part of the CommUnity Health Action Lab (CUHAL) with Professor Maria Venetis and Jorlanditha Austin from the School of Communication and Information.

SC&I: You are involved in a lot of extracurriculars/organizations - how do you effectively manage your time and stay on top of all your responsibilities?

CC: While I am very busy, I prioritize time for self-care as well as moments to spend with loved ones. When planning out what I have to do each week for academic obligations, extracurriculars, and leadership positions, I utilize planners as well as an agenda and weekly checklist for my overall action items. I use a calendar to create an overview of my entire month to highlight important dates, iCalendar to organize my time each day (blocking off sections for everything I must schedule) and my physical planner to create daily checklists to meet my weekly goals. I am able to effectively manage my time by continuing to organize each day utilizing these tools, while also keeping my short, mid and long-term goals in mind.

SC&I: How did you become interested in getting so involved with Rutgers/giving back to the Rutgers community? What are the most rewarding parts about the various roles you serve?

CC: I became interested in getting involved with Rutgers from the beginning of my first year here. My first year, I was a member of the Leadership Living Learning Community and wanted to continue to be surrounded with people who enjoyed involvement on campus. As a student who is proud to represent Rutgers University, I made it my goal to take on positions where I could continue to make a positive impact on behalf of the school. Serving as the Community Service Director for Rutgers University Programming Association was one thing I really had hoped to do during my time at Rutgers. As a first year, I witnessed and participated in events such as Scarlet Day of Service and Winter Wishes. While I really enjoyed attending these programs, I wanted to make a bigger difference on campus and instead of continuing my involvement in the capacity of a participant, I wanted to be the one to make them happen and provide opportunities for my peers on campus. 

I believe the most rewarding parts about the roles I serve in is the impact I am able to make as well as the relationships I build along the way. In the various positions I work, I am able to do my job alongside many wonderful peers and supervisors. Each day I am grateful for the fellow students leaders I am able to meet, collaborate with and learn from. The connections and friendships I am able to forge is one of the most rewarding parts about the various roles in which I serve.

SC&I: Are there any particular classes you took or professors you had at SC&I that particularly inspired or motivated you?

CC: There are a handful of classes I took at SC&I that particularly interested and motivated me. In the fall semester, I took two classes that I thoroughly enjoyed: Communication and Social Change taught by Professor Vikki Katz and Media, Marketing, and Communication with Professor Mark Beal. Each class applied concepts I learned in introductory classes to real life situations. I found Communication and Social Change to be a fascinating class where I learned about how communication impacts social movements and important moments in history. Specifically, learning about how communication methods impacted HIV awareness was a powerful lesson.

Additionally, Media, Marketing, and Communication with Professor Beal was a great class to take because I felt I was truly able to learn about how the study of communication lent itself to involvement in the media, marketing and communication industry as a whole. Each week, Professor Beal invited a guest speaker to the class who spoke about their experience in the field - ranging from those employed by Amazon, Lipton, and the Clorox Company.

I have also had the pleasure of having SC&I professors who have helped to motivate me. Professor  Venetis taught the Interpersonal Communication course I took in Spring 2021. While our class was virtual, Professor Venetis provided a synchronous option for our class (which was supposed to be completely asynchronous). This class was the only course I was taking at the time which provided an opportunity to learn "in real time" while also providing the opportunity to receive live support from a professor and my peers. I truly am grateful to have received such support, care and sense of community from a professor during a time filled with uncertainty and barriers due to being completely virtual in my educational experience.

SC&I: Do you have any plans for the summer/your senior year/post-grad?

CC: This summer I will be serving as an intern for the Rutgers Major Events and Programming office. This internship position will require me to work on campus and provide programming for the New Student Orientation Sessions throughout the summer as well as prepare for the events this upcoming school year.

Learn more about the Communication major and minoring in Digital Communication, Information and Media at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information on the website. 

Photos courtesy of Cassie Cuddihy COM‘23