During her first campus visit, senior Emily Rasch chose the University of Idaho because she felt the Vandal spirit.
“I was looking for a school that would give me every opportunity possible,” she said. “After stepping foot on campus, I could feel the Vandal family and the Vandal spirit. It’s so rich and powerful, and the connections I made even during that visit were so important to me.”
Tess Fox | Argonaut Homecoming chair Emily Rasch presents the Registrar’s office with a first place trophy for office decorations at the Alumni Luncheon Wednesday in the International Ballroom.
A native of Portland, Oregon, Rasch said she grew up thinking she would attend the University of Oregon or Oregon State University.
“It was amazing that I was able to jump right in from the get-go,” she said. “I’ve never felt like I was just a number. Everyone’s so helpful and they’re always looking out for me. I saw that coming to school for a visit. That’s what I wanted. That’s what I was looking for.”
Assistant Director of Alumni Events Marie Duncan met Rasch during her first campus visit.
“A Vandal friend of mine who was living and working in Portland brought Emily over to check it out,” Duncan said.
After Duncan was introduced to Rasch, she saw her drive to get involved on campus take root within her first semester as an official UI student.
“She got super involved with SArb (Student Alumni Relations hips Board) right off the bat,” Duncan said. “I helped out at some of the events over there and got to know her that way.”
After four-and-a-half years, Rasch said her experience at UI has lived up to her expectations.
During her freshman year, Rasch planned on earning a degree in secondary education. After becoming involved with the SArb, Rasch said she was encouraged to join the Homecoming Committee.
“I knew coming into (college) I wanted to apply for SArb,” she said. “Right away, they were looking for younger members to join the homecoming team who could dedicate multiple years to the organization.”
Rasch spent her first year as the royalty chair of the Homecoming Committee and was the assistant chair her second year. Last year and this year, Rasch served as the chair of the committee.
Being involved with homecoming showed Rasch that her true passion lies in event planning, she said.
Rasch is now an advertising major with an emphasis in history and culture. She said she added a semester to her time at UI to study event management at London Met University.
“It was very last minute,” she said. “It’s worth it, taking an extra semester and coming back for homecoming, studying abroad — it all came together.”
In the summer of 2015, Rasch said she worked as a live events production intern for Nickelodeon.
“I was on the ‘Kids Choice Awards’ team,” she said. “I did all the preproduction for the ‘Kids Choice Awards,’ which was really cool. I even got to pitch my own show at the end to the executives and gained some really awesome connections.”
Rasch said the executives liked her show idea.
“It’s not going to debut until 2017 or 2018 possibly, but I had to sign over all legal rights to the idea because I was an intern,” she said. “It’s cool just to know that my ideas are contributing. I produced some really awesome material that they can use.”
Rasch said she isn’t allowed to say what the show will be about due to legal obligations.
This semester, Rasch will complete a semester-long internship on the event planning team at Bollare, a public relations firm in New York City.
“It’s a fashion brand,” she said. “Most of our clients, they are designers, bloggers and editors. My next event … is an event for Timberland. Right now we’re scouting a location. I’m looking at social venues and we’re working on the graphics for our invites. It’s exactly what I want to do.”
After graduation, Rasch said she wants to work toward running her own event firm, which focuses on smaller, intimate events.
Duncan said Rasch has matured through college.
“She’s always been confident, even when she was a senior in high school,” Duncan said. “It’s been really cool to watch her grow as a Vandal. She recruits for us, it seems, everywhere she goes.”
Rasch has been directing UI homecoming operations from New York City for much of this semester.
Her favorite part of homecoming is Serpentine and the Bonfire, she said. Rasch said being crowned as royalty during Homecoming Week last year made the experience even more special.
“Standing on the field during the halftime singing the alma mater, it is a very powerful moment, and it’s always my favorite,” she said.
Tess Fox can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @tesstakesphotos