The Colby Echo

Issue date: 10/19/07 Section: Features

Media Credit: Caroline Dickson Jessica Coliflores '08

Hailing from Wrentham, Mass., Jessica Coliflores is a senior with an independent administrative science major and religious studies minor. Although she is living off-campus this school year, she is known as a visible and well-involved presence on campus.

A former Class Representative, Coliflores now serves as the Parliamentarian of the Presidents' Council. She was appointed to the position by Student Government Association President Nick Cade '08 last spring. "I realized how cool SGA was after being on it and wanted to stay involved," she said of her increased involvement with SGA. As Parliamentarian, Coliflores heads one of the Presidents' Council's working groups. Her group focuses on college engagement, trying to get students more involved with SGA initiatives. "We're putting faces to the names of SGA," she explained, "letting people know who we are and what we're doing."

Another of Coliflores' roles on campus is that of co-captain of the Colby Women's Rugby Football Club. She originally joined the Rugby squad because she "wanted to be part of a team again." This past spring, Coliflores injured her knee during a practice. Though she is still unable to play, she remains a courageous co-captain and continues to support her team. "I like that I've stayed involved instead of just quitting because I can't play," she said.

In her sophomore year, Coliflores was asked to serve as the underclassman editor of the Oracle, Colby's yearbook. In what is now her third year on the Oracle's staff, she is the Editor in Chief and has a paid staff working for her. While the majority of people who buy the yearbook are seniors, she hopes to generate more enthusiasm from underclassmen to purchase a copy this year. Coliflores is also the President of Colby's Filipino Club. The club, founded by Jessica's sister Jen Coliflores '06, has only one Filipino member-Jessica herself. The club focuses on hosting events featuring Filipino food and culture, and is open to anyone interested. Using Filipino food as a fundraising mechanism, the club has hosted such events as dance groups and its annual spring barbeque.

Coliflores first "fell in love with the [Colby] campus" after visiting with her sister. Since enrolling in the school herself, Coliflores has done as much as she can to get involved, including her participation as a COOT leader this fall. "Because it's such a small school, it gives students a big opportunity to make a change on campus," she said when asked what it is that she loves most about Colby. That, and "the cowboy cookies served in the dining halls!"

Coliflores was a COOT leader for both her junior and senior years for the groups Acadia Exploration A and Gilead B respectively. "I just had blast on COOT," she said, "and I wanted to do my part to make sure that the program continued being awesome." Her favorite thing about COOT: having a legitimate reason to play the game Wah!

As far as Coliflores' plans for after college are concerned, she is still somewhat undecided about what she'll be doing. While she has considered going into hotel management, there is still plenty of time left for her to choose a direction to set off in.

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