Payden Gilmore Staff Spotlight Interview
Payden Gilmore, CampusRec’s Membership Services Student Coordinator, always finds a way to connect with her community. Part of that is rooted in empathy, listening to understand the perspective of others while also having genuine interest in their wellbeing. “CampusRec does really well with creating space for sharing different experiences and ideas and I think that we listen to people’s ideas a lot more than corporate jobs probably do, so I think that’s what I try to emulate every day.”
Over her four years at CampusRec, Payden has climbed the leadership ladder, starting from a member of the FLASH program in her freshman year to presently working as the Student Coordinator for Member Services. Her experiences in the role and insider knowledge of Member Services has allowed her to understand the position and meet the needs of student employees in Member Services. She has been able to witness growth and skill-building in the new team members, which has been a rewarding experience for her. “I really do enjoy seeing freshmen not really having that confidence or not knowing what they’re doing and then kind of grow into these problem-solving, confident machines.”
Payden is interested in exploring a career in child & family advocacy or job coaching for people with intellectual disabilities. There are a lot of skills Payden has gained from her experiences at Campus Rec that will help her achieve future success. Payden has gained confidence in being able to lead others, including facilitating groups, communicating with team members, and giving pertinent, position-specific information. Most of all, Payden uses her unique voice to bring people together, whether that be in the Mystery Staff community activity, or leading Member Services staff meetings. Her skills in communication and facilitation, along with her empathetic nature and focus on community, equips her with the tools she needs for careers working with children and families.
Besides being an experienced Student Coordinator, Payden’s passions include music, art, film and people. “I think that everybody has something to teach me and I have something to teach everybody. I just wanna know everything. I want to listen to other people to learn.” Payden’s passion for human connection and the desire to gain knowledge through understanding others perspectives opens her world to many areas of interest.
Payden understands the unique position of being a student worker, and the myriad of lives we live. When asked about advice for new staff, Payden shares that every person has the ability to choose what they want to get out of their journey. “If you need to work for some money and go home and have time to do homework , or if you want to expand your horizons through this job, you can find unique ways to do that…you can customize your journey to what you want to get out of this job.”
Thank you for your dedication to the CampusRec community! The Rec Center would not be the same without you.