Interview with AVP Sara Klein

By: Veronica Melikov

The incoming freshmen of Steven’s Class of 2020 are not the only ones who are new to life on campus. Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs Sara Klein has been with Stevens since last December and this upcoming semester will be her first full academic year. From day one, she has made it her mission to make a mark on the community. “I hope that students will soon start to notice that I’m very student-centric and friendly, and that I aim to help students feel that all of the staff in Student Affairs are happy and focused on making the student experience the best it can possibly be. I also feel that I’m very transparent and I’d like for students to feel that there is strong communication between them and us,” explained Klein.

Klein offers a small token of advice to first-year students, “I suggest that students plan their schedules out, put all of their assignments in their calendars in advance, and commit to specific times for studying, working out, and having fun.” The stress associated with time management has been a demon shared by many students during their acclimation to campus life. Get ahead of the curve and beat the time management blues by starting and maintaining productive habits. “I think new students often have a hard time figuring out how to manage their time in college, since high school is typically more of a structured day, and college involves a ton of unstructured time,” adds Klein.

To help that transition, finding a small piece of home to look back on can help students hit with a streak of homesickness. For Klein, a familiar restaurant made it easier to adjust to the unfamiliarity of Hoboken. “Since I’m also a newcomer, I don’t know many places well in Hoboken,” reasoned Klein. “However, I lived in NYC all of my adult life, so I was pretty excited to see a Mamoun’s Falafel on Washington Street- the original is in Greenwich Village and there’s no better falafel and hummus around!”

Klein finishes her thoughts on a wise note, “ A ‘must-do’ for new students when they arrive on campus is to meet people! Don’t be shy—introduce yourself. Since no one really knows one another in the first few days, there is nothing awkward about them walking up to new people and meeting them. You’re all in the same boat!”