UAO president thrives on campus involvement

Alumni Laureate Scholar Profile

Megan Largent knows how to make things happen.

If there was an event planned at her Strongsville high school, most likely, Largent was involved. She helped organize a variety of activities, from the service-oriented, like blood drives, to fun, festive gatherings such as homecoming and prom.

“I've been planning events since I was on student council in high school. I realized that it was something I was good at and that it could possibly be a career,” said Largent, 19. “I did some research and found that BGSU was one of the only schools that offered a degree in event planning. I really like that this career has both business and creative aspects to it, so I really wanted to pursue it.”

Largent will get a taste of planning events on a much larger scale this summer, when she interns at CTIA—The Wireless Association in Washington D.C. As an intern, Largent will assist the organization with planning for Super Mobility Week, North America's largest convention for mobile technology innovations in Las Vegas. It will be her first internship as a BGSU student.

“I did some research and found that BGSU was one of the only schools that offered a degree in event planning. I really like that this career has both business and creative aspects to it, so I really wanted to pursue it.”Before she heads to the nation's Capitol, however, Largent has another important role to fulfill on campus. In December 2014, she became the president of the University Activities Organization, which brings top-notch entertainment to campus throughout the school year, in the form of concerts, comedy shows, movie nights and more.

“I'm focusing on restructuring the organization so we can be sure we're planning events that are as student-focused as possible,” Largent said.

Largent also serves as vice president of membership programming for her sorority, Alpha Chi Omega, and has participated in Dance Marathon.

Although she stays quite involved on campus, Largent doesn't cross paths too often with her sister, Kelly Largent, unless it's to participate in an event or project related to the Alumni Laureate Scholarship.

Megan and Kelly, who are two parts of a set of triplets, both enrolled at BGSU the same year and applied (and won) the same scholarship, but that's where their academic similarities end. The sisters have different majors (Kelly studies early childhood education), have always lived in different residence halls and each participates in a completely different array of extracurricular activities.

Still, they make plans to hang out whenever they can, Largent said. They're also pleased that their other sister Caitlyn attends college just an hour away at Tiffin University.

“All three of us had originally planned to go to different schools, but we're happy with how it worked out,” Largent said.

Largent remembers the day the two sisters received their Alumni Laureate Scholarship offer letters. They opened them at the same time and were overjoyed to learn they'd both been accepted.

“We toured campus together and both really loved the atmosphere,” Largent said. “I really think that even if I hadn't gotten the scholarship, I'd still be at BGSU.”

“I just feel incredibly lucky to be a part of the Alumni Laureate Scholarship program. The networking, the mentors, the support, there's so much it offers, so many great resources,” she added. “I've met so many people who have succeeded in their fields and received so much guidance. It's helped me to take more interest in leadership, be involved and to pursue leadership positions.”

Only halfway through her sophomore year, Largent isn't sure what the future holds for her career. She does know one thing, though: she wants to be an active and engaged BGSU alumna.

“I hope my career will bring me the success and stability to give back to the University, and to help give other students some of the great experiences I've had,” she said.