SPOTLIGHT: Mentoring others by setting daily examples

It isn’t every day that you run into someone remarkable. It isn’t every day that you find someone willing to take the time out of their busy schedule to listen to your problems. And it definitely isn’t every day that you meet someone who takes on more than they can chew and exceed in every aspect in which a task entails. However, for the students who reside on the third floor of Chapultepec Hall, they know and live with a person who exemplifies all of these characteristics.

As the resident adviser for the Fine Arts Living and Learning Community, which houses about 55 students on the third floor of “Chappy,” as most San Diego State students refer to the giant 11-floor residence hall on 55th Street, Michelle Wadleigh seems to balance out things in her life quite well. Actually, Wadleigh, a second year RA and theater senior, has balanced things out so well that she has caught the attention of her students and fellow coworkers for all the hard work she does and the examples she sets.

“Among working through her own problems and bumps in her life, she always takes the time to help others in need,” fellow Chapultepec RA and foods and nutrition junior Leanna Alomar said of Wadleigh. “Especially her friends and residents, even if that means sacrificing her (own) sleep time.”

Forty-five minutes north of SDSU on the Interstate 5 is a small city called Vista. It is where Wadleigh calls home. In Vista, Wadleigh has taken voice lessons, dance classes and performed in musicals since she was 5 years old. It is her passion and affinity for the performing arts that has led her to SDSU.
“I grew up in a family of nine children, so I learned early on not to take and to help when I can,” Wadleigh said of herself when asked what makes her a “true giver,” a term used by Alomar when nominating Wadleigh for the Spotlight recognition. “I try to put my own problems aside and help others whenever possible.”

Besides balancing her duties as a full-time student and an RA, Wadleigh is also a member of the National Residence Hall Honorary, an organization that includes the top 1 percent of all leaders living on SDSU’s campus. Although it might seem like all work for the theater senior, she seems to find time to take an occasional break and enjoy the things she loves which include going to the beach, karaoke, traveling, watching every season of “Friends” and shopping. She is especially excited for the upcoming Third Eye Blind concert on Dec. 11 that is being held at the Jenny Craig Pavilion at USD.

It isn’t a secret that the way Wadleigh carries herself and handles situations has led her to be the admired coworker and adviser any student would want to have on his or her floor while living in the residence halls. Although so many individuals take away and learn so much from her, it takes a true giver to understand that you must learn from others as well; a feat that Wadleigh seems to accomplish quite naturally.

“I have learned so much about myself by getting to know people who are different than me,” Wadleigh said. “I hope to continue to grow as a leader and a person and hope to gain more knowledge about different cultures and walks of life.”

In the words of her friend and coworker, Alomar, Wadleigh is “kind, dedicated and determined.” These are all attributes that any college student should seek out when attempting to be successful. However, to encompass all these traits and assist others at the same time is a formula for a rare type of person, and to the people that surround Wadleigh on a daily basis, she has just what it takes.