Scholar spotlight: Meredith Rivas
By Aseret Bertram Grant, journalism junior and business minor
Meredith Rivas, a junior from Oakland, New Jersey, is studying finance and accounting. She is involved with the KU Student Endowment Board (SEB) and is starting her second term as its president.
During the fall semester of her freshman year, someone from the SEB made a presentation in one of her classes. Rivas, a fourth-generation KU student, became interested in getting involved with the group because of its commitment to the tradition and legacy of KU.
She enjoyed her first semester with the group as a member, but she wanted to become a larger part of the SEB’s success.
“I saw gaps in the way the board functioned, and I believed I was up to the task of helping,” she said.
That is what led her to become vice president of membership before beginning her role as president. As president of the KU SEB, her main job is to think about the big picture of the group. She has to consider what the organization will look like in three to five years, how membership is changing, what challenges they face and what new opportunities they have.
“I take the big picture with me into the everyday, as I work with executive members, board members, campus leaders and KU Endowment staff to work toward our long-term goals,” Rivas said.
Rivas is an honor roll student, a member of Chi Omega, and is active in various campus organizations. As a KU SEB executive board member, she has required office hours each week, which she believes contribute to her success.
“While my weekly duties as president aren’t contained to the two hours I work in the office, taking that time wholly dedicated to SEB keeps me working toward the organization’s goals amid other work and school commitments,” she said. “It reorients my thinking and reminds me to keep pushing toward what we want to accomplish.”
