By Faith Edwards, Staff Writer
Among the many new faces on campus, Christina McKenzie Willenbrock became one when she stepped into the role of being the Director of Residence Life this past summer. Even after being in her position for such a short time, she has already had a positive influence in her department and on campus.
Willenbrock was born in Boston, Massachusetts, but she primarily grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. There she obtained her undergraduate degree in psychology at Rhodes College, a private, liberal arts school. She then attained her Masters in Educational Psychology and Research at the University of Memphis, which certainly plays an important part in her role today.
“I enjoy the inner workings of the human mind,” says Willenbrock, but it was in graduate school that she fell in love with Residence Life.
At the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Willenbrock was in a role similar to an Area Director. She enjoys being in a position where she is able to aid students in making the transition from the innocence of high school into adulthood. By living on campus, students are able to learn and grow in a secure environment where they have the support to make that transition smoothly.
Willenbrock spent some time at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Colorado State before needing a change and moving back to Springfield. She then became certified as a special educator in grades Pre-Kindergarten to twelfth grade and worked in the Springfield public schools. After this experience, she had no doubt that she had a passion for higher education. Willenbrock was in the Residence Life Department at Westfield State University when the Director of Residence Life position opened up here at Western New England University.
Many aspects of our University stood out to Willenbrock that made her want to become part of it. For starters, she considers Springfield to be her home and community, so she was happy to return. Working in a smaller private school was also very appealing to her, and she felt that the staff seemed dedicated, close-knit, and welcoming. It was the perfect environment for her.
Upon coming into this role, Willenbrock recognizes that there have been a lot of changes within the University as a whole but also within Residence Life, and with this in mind she hopes to bring some stability back to the department. She intends to accomplish this by doing some intentional planning, establishing a new mission and values statement for Residence Life, and overall looking to solidify the department’s sense of identity.
It’s important to Willenbrock that students leave the University feeling transformed not only academically, but also within their student experience, and we both agree that a large part of many students’ experience on campus lies within the residential areas. She understands that students are often looking forward to living on their own off campus where there are no rules and they have that kind of freedom, but as she puts it, “students will spend enough time in the ‘real world,’” so it’s okay to enjoy the experience of living on campus for a while.
Early on in the interview it was apparent to me that Willenbrock deeply cares for her community and she wants to see more students being active members of the Springfield community. She acknowledges that it’s not only outreach that is important, but it’s also important to invite the community onto campus. Some of the ideas she has include programs that bring students from the Springfield community onto campus to introduce them to the college experience, exposing our students to the different cultures in Springfield, attending a Thunderbirds game, and more.
Willenbrock also acknowledges that there are stereotypes about the community and there is a need to move beyond them saying, “People are afraid of communities where they see black and brown people and that’s just stupid.” Instead, Willenbrock believes that it is important for us to listen and hear the city tell its story.
Willenbrock’s passion for people and their stories stood out to me upon meeting her, and of course, she has her own stories that she has been open to sharing. Some of these stories are represented by tattoos that she has. When I asked how many tattoos she had, she responded, “six and counting.”
The one I immediately noticed is located on her wrist. It is an image of music notes ranging from “a” to “g” because each member of her family has a name that starts with one of those letters. This tattoo represents for her a love for her family and a love for music and performing.
Willenbrock often stated in our interview that she desires to personally and departmentally operate with an ethic of care. After working at larger institutions, she noticed that “it’s very easy for students to become numbers.” She believes that it is important to humanize individuals and invest in them.
Willenbrock recognizes the importance of this with all students, especially those with marginalized identities. Ideally, she would like conversations about identity to become “common like the weather,” and she feels that our University community is a small enough institution where people can successfully develop these kinds of relationships. She states that “students are the pulse of the institution” and hopes that the department as well as the University remains student-driven.
