Name: Kevin Meier
Title: Assistant Director
Department: Health Promotion and Wellness
Where are you from? Elmhurst, IL
How many years have you worked in Student Affairs at Northwestern? Four.
What brought you to Student Affairs?
I never saw myself working in this setting until my second year of Grad School when I interned for the Wellness Resource Center at UW – La Crosse. I was introduced to what public health and health education work on a college campus looks like and never looked back. Shout out to my mentor Matt Vogel for showing me and leading by example and opening my eyes to the impact I could have on student’s lives and the community as a whole.
What recommendation(s) do you have for someone new to Student Affairs?
Take advantage of all the free learning opportunities that exist on campus. Ask questions, especially if people are using a bunch of acronyms for every single thing. And don’t be afraid to share your ideas. Everyone wants to make this a place for people to thrive, and your idea might just be the next big thing!
What can’t you live without?
Good friends and good food. Most of my friends are from childhood and am lucky to have remained close with most of them. Food is one of the best ways to bring people together, plus having attended culinary school I absolutely love cooking and using those skills, so I’m happy to keep that as a part of my life even though it didn’t become my life.
How do you like to spend your free time?
In the nicer weather, you will find me outside biking, grilling, or doing work on the landscaping (yes I love that kind of work). Colder months I will happily put on a fire and read a good book or have a good movie marathon. I am a huge proponent for long weekends and taking time to rejuvenate from the stresses of everyday life.
Each week a different staff member in the division of Student Affairs will be featured. Staff can opt in to be featured, by filling out the Staff Spotlight Submission form. Student Affairs Marketing staff reach out to staff from across the division asking for participation. The spotlights will be featured in the Student Affairs Snapshot e-newsletter.