Erin Hurh Staff Spotlight Interview
Erin Hurh is a familiar face to many at the Rec as she has been working different positions here since 2021! Erin initially found her place here through the FLASH program, where she began working at Member Services. Since then, she took a short break from the Rec to gain some other work experience, but came back and was hired on as a Graphic Designer in the Marketing department. While working in Marketing she stepped in to help out as the Marketing Student Coordinator over the summer as well as an Office Assistant. Now, still working as an OA, Erin has also settled into her current position as a Digital Web Specialist in the Marketing department.
Prior to coming to PSU, Erin was interested in pursuing Business, but after completing a job shadow she realized that Graphic Design may be a better fit. “I was very particular with the way that I would set things and presentations. Then I was like, oh, that's just graphic design. And so that's kind of how I fumbled into design in general.” Erin is a Senior this year and hopes to pursue a career at a design agency or in marketing and creative strategy after she graduates. Even if it wasn’t always obvious, design was a natural choice for Erin as her step-dad and aunt, both also completed design degrees at PSU!
Erin has been born and raised in the Portland area. Despite growing up around the famed Portland crows, an interesting fact you may not know about Erin is that she dislikes birds. “I don't really like them because their texture is really off-putting to me; their feathers, their eyes, and their little claws, so I try to avoid them whenever I can” she says. Other than avoiding birds, when Erin isn’t at work, she spends her free time hanging out with family and loved ones as well as reading, singing, and watching superhero or action TV. Erin has also been into doing puzzles recently and said, “It's a really lowkey activity, I feel like, but I think it's really nice just to be kind of offline.”
Some of Erin’s passions include learning more about people, the world, and how we can make it a better place. She expands that, “I like to be really curious about just the environment that we live in, for example kind of like the landscape of the internet right now and then how that affects us as people and the way that it changes to society.” Additionally, Erin appreciates the value that Campus Rec adds to community in this day and age, by creating a space where people can find real connection.
In terms of the Campus Rec values, Inclusion and Wellbeing are two important values to Erin. When expanding on inclusion she said, “I feel like that's also a reason why I love Campus Rec, that we really try to lessen those barriers.” As a Student Employee, Erin finds Wellbeing especially important. “I feel like well-being, the way that campus rec approaches it, is such a refreshing take on it, because sometimes we, especially as students, put a lot of pressure on ourselves to exceed and do well. And, I think taking care of yourself and taking care of myself has been really important to me in little ways.”
Overall, Erin’s favorite parts of her job are being able to interact with peers, either casually, or through meetings, brainstorming, campaigns, or events. Erin says, “It's really fun because it just creates a sense of belonging and like I said, community and friendships. And a lot of the people that work in marketing are also graphic designers.” A very rewarding moment for Erin was getting the design position here at the Rec, “ I feel like sometimes I'm a very harsh critic of myself. So getting that role was really a big achievement of mine because I did it solely on my own.” Also, in her job Erin has learned a lot about running Microsoft and other programs, but above all she feels like she has gained more communication skills and initiative to ask what else needs to be done.
Erin would tell new staff to not be afraid to talk to other departments and go say “hi.” She also recommends, “Use the Rec Clubs and IMs room [staff lounge area] to meet new people, like new staff members, especially because we have so many new people coming in!” Some of Erin’s favorite activities at the Rec are events, like Night at the Rec, because they are always fun and create an easy entry point to learning about the Rec and picking up some free stuff. She also enjoys going to drop in volleyball, because it is for all levels and there is no pressure to know everything. Finally, reflecting back at her college experience Erin urges us to use school resources like the food pantry, basic needs hub, and more. Additionally, she notes that checking in with advisors regularly and going to events are important to taking advantage of your education and opportunities. Erin says, “Those were the most helpful things for me. Looking back now, I wish that I went to more events, definitely go to events in your program because, you know, you only get them once and you're not gonna be able to experience that again outside of school.” Erin expresses she will miss her time in school and at Campus Rec, but encourages us to make the most of it.