This week on A Day with a GA we caught up with Alec Maruki, a second year student in the Master of Public Administration program. Alec is the GA for the Office of Institutional Diversity.
Name: Alec Maruki
Hometown: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Graduate Program/Year: I’m in my second year of my Master of Public Administration program.
Previous Education (Undergrad and/or Grad): I have a B.A in Studio Art, with a minor in Psychology from the University of North Carolina of Greensboro.
Office or Department you work for: I am a GA for the Office of Institutional Diversity located in the Robert Scott Building.
What are your assistantship responsibilities? I assist the overall office with any upcoming projects, marketing, emails, and social media for OID. Recently, our office has been working on Launchpad For Success which is a two year career development program that emphasizes mentoring, financial literacy, professional development and experiential learning.
What do you like most about your position? I love assisting as well as collaborating with the people I work with at OID. Everyone is so amazing to work with and I love the dynamics of this office!
What question do you get asked most and what’s your typical answer? If we do a tabling event for our office, I usually get asked if we are an organization that students can join. While we are just an office, I appreciate their enthusiasm and interest in OID and what we do. My answer with students is explaining that we are an office and what we are trying to accomplish, and to stop by and visit us!
What’s your favorite location on campus and why? I love to sit at the Cistern Yard, it’s so nice and calming to be there. I also love the Eddie Ganaway Diversity Learning Center space! This is a space that our office is in charge of taking care of, and it’s such a refreshing and quiet place to get any work done. It is located in the Robert Scott building in room 236.
What personal and/or professional accomplishment are you most proud of? At the moment, it’s definitely getting into grad school and what I am accomplishing within my work. I am so honored and thankful to be able to go to grad school. I will be the first within my immediate family to do so. This experience has been so rewarding for me!
Name a creative work (book, movie, performance, etc.) you enjoyed recently and why. Time and time again I have rewatched ”Why Are you Like This?” which is on Netflix! This show is hilarious, and is about three friends navigating their 20’s. I won’t give anything away, you have to go and watch it right now!
What’s your favorite thing to do in Charleston? I like being able to go out with friends and enjoy the arts, food, and markets that are happening here. I also love going out and meeting new people!
Favorite Restaurant in Charleston? My favorite restaurant here in Charleston is Renzo! They are located on Huger Street. They have the best dishes, from pastas to pizzas and a killer caesar salad! The broccolini is my favorite.
Describe your perfect day. My perfect day would be going to walk around the peninsula, creating some art afterwards, and grabbing dinner with friends.
