With over 600 different clubs and student organizations at The University of Alabama, it sounds like a wild idea to join as many of them as you can. . . but that’s exactly what Dillon Cook did!
Dillon’s involvement journey started during his first semester of freshman year. After attending several events hosted by University Programs (UP), the UP team asked him to apply. The next thing he knew, he was starting his spring semester as a brand ambassador on the UP outreach team. “Our primary role as brand ambassadors is getting people excited about our events,” Dillon explained. “I love talking to people. I can talk to a wall, so it was a perfect fit for me.”
Dillon’s involvement only grew from there; his time in UP opened doors to other areas in Student Life and beyond. “UP helped me find a community and showed me other opportunities all over campus,” he said. Dillon later joined Housing and Residential Communities as a resident advisor, joined the Blackburn Institute, became Bama Dining’s social media coordinator, joined a surplus of honor societies and currently serves as an executive member for a number of different student organizations. To most, this amount of involvement is overwhelming when you consider all the different responsibilities tied to them. Each club has its own meetings and each executive position has its individual responsibilities, so the work can pile up rather quickly. Dillon does all of this for a reason, though, not just because he finds it fun.
I love working with people to build community. This place is so big, but once you find your community, it starts to feel smaller. I truly have a passion for helping students get involved
Dillon Cook
While Dillon’s level of involvement isn’t suitable for everyone, he urges others to keep an open mind and be on the lookout for any clubs that sound enticing. “I tell a lot of students to look for three clubs: one for your hobbies, one for your major and one to put you out of your comfort zone. You don’t have to do everything I do. Being involved can look like whatever you want it to,” he said. While students can decide to not be involved at all, those that do can sometimes find more accomplishment than most.
Being involved in Student Life – between UP, Blackburn, being an RA and everything else – has let me meet so many people and develop connections that I’m still using today. . . UA is my home and I’m happy I built a community here.
Dillon Cook
