Editor's note: The Eastern Echo staff meets regularly with interesting people on and off campus. Engage in those conversations with us through our weekly Q&A report.
She's a senior at Eastern Michigan University who has nearly completed her double major in psychology and health administration in just three years. She's balancing honors classes with two on-campus jobs. And she still finds time to be involved as a leader of not one but two student organizations. Meet Isabella Moses, the co-president of EMU's Student Alumni Association and the Crochet and Knit Club. In this Q&A, Moses talked about the organizations she runs, her experience being on the executive board and how she has grown in those roles.
Q: What are the purposes of the student organizations you lead?
A: I'll start with the Student Alumni Association. What we do is we connect current students with alumni, and we also provide a bunch of volunteer opportunities at both professional and community events. Some of the events we've done are Alumni Awards and the Etiquette Dinner. Then, just some fun things to build community around campus. Like, I did a scrap journaling meeting.
Crochet and Knit Club is through the Honors College, but anybody is welcome to join. What we do is we crochet and knit for donation. All of our yarn stores have to be used for a donation project. However, you can also come and just do your own project. It's really just a space where people who enjoy fiber crafts kind of get together and learn new things. We also have plenty of people who will teach how to crochet and knit.
Q: What are some of the places that the Crochet and Knit Club donates to?
A: We have several different knit and crochet groups that we donate to. One of them is Knit Michigan. We also have information for a place where you can get deceased loved ones' unfinished products, and you can finish them for the family. I am also currently looking into setting up donations through an organization that donates things to new mothers, so we'd donate baby blankets and that kind of stuff.
Q: How long have you been a part of each organization, and when did you join the executive board for each?
A: I was a member of the Student Alumni Association for a year, and I joined the executive board at the end of last year. I have been in the Crochet and Knit Club since I set foot on campus. This is my third year. I was put on the board last semester, so this is my second semester on the board. My two co-presidents and I have been running it fully since last semester.
Q: What is the process for joining the Student Alumni Association and Crochet and Knit Club? Is there any sort of application?
A. Nope. For both clubs, we take literally anyone. For the Student Alumni Association, we do have an interest form that we will need you to fill out so we have some basic information for stuff we do in the club. Like, we are working on potentially getting all club members shirts and having a tie-dye day. ... So one of the things on the questionnaire is, "What's your T-shirt size?" The interest form is what we use to track prizes and what meetings you attended and what volunteer hours you've done.
For Crochet and Knit Club, you really just show up. Even if you can't fit meetings into your schedule, just email one of us, and we can help set you up for making projects to donate. However, if you're someone who hasn't crocheted or knitted before, we won't really be able to teach you how to crochet or knit if you can't make the meetings.
Q: Why did you join these student organizations? What drew you to them?
A: I joined Crochet and Knit Club right away my freshman year because I was already teaching myself to crochet and knit. It's a great way to get volunteer hours for the Honors College, which I was joining, and then I also thought it would be really cool to learn more about the craft from people who've done it longer than I have. It's really weird being one of the leaders now because I have friends I met in the club that were crocheting long before I started, and they're coming to me to ask questions about projects and stuff, so it's just a really weird and cool experience to now be more like a mentor for crochet when I came in asking for help.
For the Student Alumni Association, I almost didn't even join. I got an email from Dr. Ann Eisenberg in the Honors College being like, hey, there's this club that you can get volunteer hours for, and I think you'd be great for it. I got this email while I was camping, so I barely had any Wi-Fi. I'm like, interesting; I'll have to think about it. So, I was just sitting there, and then one night, I was just chilling in the camper, and I was like, you know what ... I'm signing up. It kind of spiraled from there. ... Honestly, it made my year last year.
Q: How has the Student Alumni Association made your year?
A: The Student Alumni Association gave me so many opportunities that I didn't even know I wanted to have. I'm an introvert ... but it's made it so much easier to go up and talk to people in professional settings. I've also had some cool experiences; like, I have pictures on my phone of me with The Temptations. I've also spoken to the university president and his wife; I've talked to most of the board members, the trustees ... it's a really cool experience.
Q: What is the most rewarding part of being on the executive board for these organizations?
A: For Crochet and Knit, it's really the joy of being able to teach something that I love, because I've honestly missed it. Like, in high school, I was a tutor, so I tutored biology, math ... so I just kind of missed being able to teach people things, because that's something I enjoy but wouldn't want to make a career out of. It's just nice being able to work with people again and teach them new skills, especially when it's a craft that I absolutely love doing.
For the Student Alumni Association, it's a great experience. Like, it's teaching me so much about event planning and budgeting and creating promotional material, as well as doing things like this interview.
Q: How do you feel you have grown academically, professionally or personally as a result of being on the e-board?
A: I've definitely become way more comfortable in professional environments and with figuring out what level of professionalism I need to be at for different events, which has helped a lot.
Honestly, I don't even know if I can describe in words the change because it's more of a feeling. Like, I'm just so much more confident in my actions and how I present myself in formal settings as well as in crafting settings. I came into both of these clubs being like, I have no idea what I'm doing; I'm just here because someone told me I should be here. And then I just spiraled into, I know what I'm doing, and I can help other people figure out what they're doing now, too.
Q: What advice would you give to students who want to get more involved on campus, particularly in leadership roles?
A: For me, you can't just show up to something and then become a leader. The best way to get into leadership positions is to start from the ground up. You have to go to the meetings; you have to put in the effort; you have to talk to the leaders. Immerse yourself in the clubs; immerse yourself in campus life. That's really the best way to get what you want, because I didn't even want to be a leader in these clubs; I've never cared for that. I was mostly just there for fun and the opportunities, but I just immersed myself in the clubs and participated so much that I just naturally became the leader. The opportunities just presented themselves, and I took them.
Like, with Crochet and Knit Club, I was there for a year and a half, and then Jesse, our president at the time, was like 'OK, who wants to take on the position?' I'm like, maybe. I said that maybe I would be interested if nobody else wanted to, and then here I am. And then, with the Student Alumni Association, one of our co-presidents left; she was graduating, and they're like, we need someone to fill her place, and they offered me up to Celia, our boss. So, it's really just, if you put in the work, the opportunities will present themselves.
The Student Alumni Association will dissolve in the winter 2026 semester due to low involvement, Moses said. Nevertheless, she is eager to continue leading the Crochet and Knit Club, which students can check out on the Student Involvement page of the Honors College website.
