When asked to describe her time at Colgate, Becca McArthur used the words “busy, crazy even.” Her remark is no surprise, considering all of her involvement on campus.

 

As a senior, McArthur co-leads the Hamilton Central Creative Writing Club at Hamilton Central School, where she works with local fourth graders. She is also a Link Staff member, a Konosioni inductee, a member of the theater and, since her first year, a singer for “The Swinging ‘Gates,” Colgate’s only all-female a capella group. With such an overwhelming list of activities, it’s difficult to imagine how McArthur manages to do it all.

 

“I guess, the thing that keeps me going is I have always placed a lot of importance on doing a lot of really different things, and for each of them, there’s something about it that I really love. I remember what made me want to be a part of that and that’s sort of what gets me through from week to week,” McArthur said.

 

Additionally, she was also the administrative and research assistant for a geography professor last year, a position which gave her the opportunity to work closely with a non-profit organization based in Uganda.

 

“It’s called ‘Conservation through Public Health.’ The experience taught me a lot about conservation, public health – topics that I didn’t know that much about – and so that’s something that I’m potentially looking to pursue. You know, could be graduate school, could be something that I end up writing about,” McArthur said.

 

Despite all of her extracurricular activities, the Denver, Colorado native still has time to pursue a minor in Peace and Conflict Studies on top of her creative writing major. She aspires to teach English in South Africa for one year with the help of a Fulbright Scholarship. If that falls through, however, McArthur plans to obtain a teaching position abroad through her own connections.

 

“My dream is to teach English abroad for a year,” McArthur explained, but as for long-term goals, she hopes to one day work as a publisher or editor in the Big Apple and eventually move back to Colorado.

 

McArthur’s latest endeavor, serving as a Link for incoming first-years, reminded her just how fast time has flown by.

 

“Being so involved in orientation, it feels like it was just yesterday that that was me. It really blows me away that it’s gone by so quickly,” McArthur explained.

As for current students, McArthur has only one piece of advice.

 

“Introduce yourself to Dean Low. It’ll mean the world to her, and from that point on she will be really valuable to you.”