By Raelynn Harris
Western New England University has various ways for students to adjust to college life more easily. The center of that is the Student Hub, located on the second floor in the St. Germain Campus Center. The Student Hub is full of ways for students and staff to get connected, complete with a spread of resources for students.
A new addition to the Student Hub is Olivia Tocchio, Western New England University’s new Assistant Director of Student Involvement and Programming. Her office is in the Office of Student Involvement and Connections in Room 234 of the St. Germain Campus Center.
Tocchio grew up a few hours away from Springfield. After receiving her undergraduate bachelor’s degree in psychology and criminal justice from Springfield College in 2023, she stayed at the institution to work with its students for the next two academic years. Tocchio then moved over to Western New England University to continue working in a student involvement-related position. Tocchio wanted to find a local position that fits her needs as she was “looking for a career she was working up towards. Working in student involvement and being a part of the student experience was really important,” Tocchio said. Tocchio also wants to “support students on all levels and be able to bring fun events to campus.”
Tocchio’s position as an Assistant Director of Student Involvement and Programming allows her to do exactly that. In her new role, Tocchio advises the freshman, sophomore, and junior class councils. Additionally, Tocchio advises Western New England University’s Campus Activities Board (CAB) and the bowling club. Tocchio likes to work face-to-face with students, which helps her build close interpersonal relationships.
However, Tocchio hadn’t originally realized that her current role would be what she wanted until she set foot on a college campus. “I didn’t always want to work with students,” she said. “It wasn’t until I was a student leader that I decided that I wanted to work with students when I was on a college campus, and I got to see how really active and engaging a college campus could be… I wanted to be a part of the student experience.” Tocchio enjoys being able to connect with students and helping enhance students’ experiences throughout their years on campus, whether they’re undergraduates or graduate students.
One of Tocchio’s favorite days is Tuesdays, when the Student Hub serves cookies for anyone to stop by and enjoy throughout the day. Tocchio said that the lure of cookies on Tuesdays lets her connect with more students that she might not have seen otherwise. It gives her a chance to build more relationships with different people and to encourage them to become more involved.
Tocchio encourages students to reach out to Student Involvement in a variety of ways. “It doesn’t hurt to ask if you’re interested in starting a club or any type of organization,” she said. “Just reach out to myself or Bridget Grim, Western New England University’s Director of Student Involvement and Connections, and we’re going to be able to connect you with all of the support that you might need as long as you have a plan and you have people interested. We’re happy to discuss it further with you. We also have so many clubs on campus that you can get involved in. We are happy to help and work with students to the best of our abilities to make sure that [students’] experience is everything they want it to be.”
Tocchio noted that Student Involvement is incredibly important for students no matter what stage of their college education they are in. “Whether you’re a first year, incoming student and you’re still learning the campus and meeting new people, or you’re a senior and on your way out, there are so many different opportunities for students to meet each other to get involved on campus,” she said. “You might not even see those opportunities unless you really look out for them or you talk to someone about them. So, just looking out for them and communicating with the people around you on campus… all of us are happy to help you. It gives you a support system and a sense of community, so really being involved is the key to your college experience.”
