The Staff Senate is picking back up with our “Meet the Senator” series letting all staff know who their Staff Senators are. Kicking off the series this semester is our Past Chair, Deidre Hopkins. Deidre has been on Staff Senate since 2017. During this time, she has served in multiple roles. She has severed as the chair of the scholarship committee, the professional development liaison and the Senate Chair. She is currently serving as the Past Chair and will roll off Staff Senate at the end of June. Deidre says “It has truly been a great experience and a time in my life where I have grown not only professionally but personally.” Deidre still plans to attend the Staff Senate meetings because that’s where staff members can stay up to date on things happening on campus and we are so glad!
When Deidre was asked “Why Western” she stated, “I have always known that I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself. To have a job in an organization where I felt valued, appreciated, and where I am contributing to the betterment of this world. What better place to find that than higher education?” After Deidre met and married her gem of a husband, who is a Cullowhee native, she moved from her hometown of Franklin, NC to Cullowhee. WCU’s campus was just minutes from her new home and it met the criteria for what she wanted in a career, it was (and still is) the perfect place for her.
Deidre came to WCU in February 2013 as an administrative support associate for the Communication Department. In her current role, she serves as the Title IX Coordinator and Equity Officer housed in the Office of Legal Counsel and Institutional Integrity. She is a two-time alumna of WCU: B.S. Psychology (2012) and MSHR (2017).
Deidre’s favorite part of WCU are the people. The students, staff, and faculty who make up this campus are the best. She has formed some incredible connections and relationships with individuals on this campus. Deidre states “Over the past ten years, various staff, faculty and administrators have poured into me. I have been able to learn so much and grow more than I ever imaged. Each opportunity has helped mold and shape me into the person I am today. I hope that I am afforded the opportunity to continue to work and serve this campus and its community for years to come.”
Deidre is an old southern sole- think Aunt Bea from the Andy Griffith Show. She loves learning how to garden, how to can goods, how to make the best biscuits, and how to give a lesson through story telling. She has a deep appreciation for the ways, things, and people of the past. And she says she wants to be “an apron-wearing Mamaw who welcomes folks to ‘sit a spell,’ enjoy a piece of pound cake, a glass of sweet tea and talk about life.”
Deidre has impacted more lives than she realizes on this campus and WCU is so lucky to have her. Staff Senate will definitely not be the same without Deidre next year, but for now, we are going to cherish every moment we have with her.
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