Written by Dom Moreno, Edited by Lauren Eisele-Yocum
Within the Transfer Jacks organization there are multiple committees who work hard to bring you the content you see regularly, including Transfer Jacks Social Media, the Transfer Talks Podcast, and Blog! Here at Transfer Jacks Blog, our articles are planned, researched, written, and edited by four people. While all of us contribute writing, we all have specialties that we want to highlight in today’s post. So without further adieu, here is your Transfer Jacks Blog Committee!
Megan Greenspan: our Jack of All Trades
We are incredibly lucky to have the lovely and enthusiastic Megan Greenspan on our team. Hailing from Rapid City, South Dakota, Megan is our certified Cold Weather Specialist. She transferred to Northern Arizona University from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota back in the Fall of 2022.
Megan is a Psychological Studies major with minors in Queer Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, and Social Work. As evident by her substantial workload, Megan is a dedicated hard worker who we are incredibly grateful to have on the team. Megan plans to graduate in Spring of 2024, which is only a few months away! Being from states with intense winters, Megan is well equipped to write advice about surviving the snow. Keep an eye out for an article coming soon sharing many winter weather survival tips! Megan’s creativity also shines through in her recommendations for relevant and helpful topics for us to cover.
When she is not helping us here at Transfer Jacks, Megan is heavily involved in her fraternity Sigma Alpha Iota; she is the treasurer, sergeant-at-arms, and head of fundraising. Outside of her many commitments to work, classes, and SAI, Megan is also an artist and music aficionado. She enjoys designing tattoos and other digital sketching, and excels at floral arranging. Megan is also an avid music enjoyer and you can find her listening to many different genres. Megan’s favorite color is yellow which is incredibly fitting for the cheerful energy she brings to the room. When asked what her favorite part of being a Transfer Jacks Mentor is, she responded, “Building connections and having fun with the other mentors as well as the mentees!” Here at Blog Committee we appreciate everything Megan brings to every meeting, article, and conversation and we are rooting for her going into her last semester of college!
Lauren Eisele-Yocum: Chief Editor
One of the original Blog Committee members, Lauren has been a reliable source of support from the very beginning of the semester. The work we’ve done so far and plan to do going forward would not be possible without their presence here on the Blog Committee. Lauren came to us from Willamette University in the Spring of 2023. Lauren is an Environmental Science major with an emphasis in Biology. Lauren also minors in Studio Art, earning us yet another artist on the team. Lauren is planning to graduate in Fall of 2025. On top of their work with us here at Blog Committee, Lauren is the president of TAU Sigma Honor Society, an honor society that celebrates Transfer Students and their academic achievements. Lauren’s main role here on the Blog Committee is reviewing and editing pieces before they are published. Our two articles that have come out so far were both edited and improved by Lauren. Lauren is also knowledgeable about a large amount of on and off-campus resources for our content, and often adds extras into articles when editing.
When not working on classes or in the Transfer Jacks Lounge, Lauren is incredibly active. Some of their favorite hobbies include swimming, hiking, and climbing. They are also often in the gym, lifting weights and staying in shape. Outside of sports and the gym Lauren enjoys reading, specifically autobiographies, plant and nature books, and fiction. Painting is also a passion of Lauren’s and their favorite color is sap green. When asked what their favorite part of being a Transfer Jacks Mentor is they responded, “I love being able to support students and hear their transfer student stories. Everyone brings a unique experience to NAU and I love being a part of their transfer experience.” We are incredibly grateful for the work Lauren has done so far and continues to do for us. They are an invaluable asset to the Blog Committee and we’re so honored to have them on the team!
Lorissa Olson: Graphic Designer
Our most recent addition to the team is Lorissa, who serves as a welcome source of optimism and encouragement to us. Lorissa transferred here to Northern Arizona University from Estrella Mountain Community College back in Fall of 2022. She is an Art Education major, hoping to teach art to middle or highschool students. Lorissa’s graduation date is also coming up soon with her planning to graduate in the Spring of 2024. Lorissa has the most unique role here on the Blog Committee, working less with our writing or editing and instead hand-making graphics to accompany our articles. Seeing as she just recently joined, her art is not featured in any of our previous articles, but moving forward any accompanying visuals will be made by her! The adorable drawings you see of each Blog Committee member were hand drawn by her! Along with making art for us to use, Lorissa also helps with brainstorming ideas for article topics.
When not working or attending practicum for her teaching degree, Lorissa enjoys making art for herself. Some of her favorites include oil painting and printmaking, both of which she is very talented at. Lorissa is also a member of the Art Club here at NAU, and served as one of the founding members and President last year! She is incredibly dedicated and passionate about the things she enjoys, attributes that make us incredibly grateful we have her here on our team. Outside of art Lorissa also enjoys rock climbing! So much so that she has gotten several other mentors to take a rock climbing class with her next semester. Her favorite color is periwinkle blue, fitting for the calm and positive demeanor she has. When asked what her favorite part of being a Transfer Jacks Mentor is, she replied, “I love how I get to help people find their people and the path in college that best fits them!” Lorissa’s new presence on the team is an overwhelmingly positive development, and we are so excited to see how her drawings transform our articles moving forward!
Dom Moreno: Writer
Dom, along with Lauren, has also been here since the beginning of Blog Committee. They transferred here to Northern Arizona University from Chandler Gilbert Community College back in the Fall of 2022. Dom is majoring in Creative Writing with an emphasis in Fiction, and is minoring in Classics. They hope to go into freelance content writing after getting their degree, and maybe one day venturing into publishing. Dom will be here at NAU for another couple of years, graduating in either the Fall of 2025 or Spring of 2026. Dom is the leader of the Blog Committee and most of the coordinating work. They work with the people who supervise the committee to plan content and the actual posting of the articles. Being a writing major Dom also does a good amount of the composition for the group. All articles posted so far have been written by them, but look out for one’s coming soon by other members!
Dom’s pastimes outside of work and school include making and listening to music. They are a member of the marching band here at NAU and play the baritone! Discovering new music and enjoying it with others is one of their favorite activities. Dom loves cooking and they are professionally trained in baking and pastry. They find cooking to be a good creative outlet and stress reliever. Dom’s favorite color is orange, specifically the shade found in the sunsets of their home in The Valley of Arizona. When asked what their favorite part of being a Transfer Jacks mentor is they responded, “I really love the team and getting to work with them. It’s such a supportive environment and it makes coming into work feel less like a chore. I really feel like a person and not just a worker bee.” Dom is a strong leader and will continue to be supportive of the Blog Committee members and produce awesome and informative content.
Look out for new articles coming soon!
Lauren, Megan, Lorissa, and Dom are all hard at work planning content to create for you all! We have some exciting topics coming before the end of this semester, including Snow Survival by Megan and Advice for Taking Finals by Lauren. We have also already begun to think ahead to next semester, and hope you continue to read our work as it releases!