Recognizing Rockefeller Center Student Program Assistant: Emily Robertson '18

Emily Robertson ’18, a History major, discovered her passion for leading and guiding students through her involvement with the Rockefeller Center’s Dartmouth Leadership Attitudes and Behaviors (D-LAB) program specifically designed for first-year students. D-LAB participants have the opportunity to bond with peers of different values and backgrounds and connect with their upper-class facilitators through reflective and interactive activities.

Emily is grateful that her writing professor initially suggested that she apply to facilitate D-LAB. She knew of Emily’s strong interest in mentoring first-year students, and thought it would be a good fit for her. During her sophomore fall term, Emily served as a student facilitator. The experience provided her a meaningful leadership role on campus, and extended her passion for leading others to the classroom.

“I loved going through D-LAB as a facilitator because of the leadership skills the program teaches,” says Emily. “I found my passion in the message and values D-LAB introduces to first-years.”

As a result of this positive experience, Emily signed on during her junior year to be one of the Rockefeller Center’s Student Program Assistants for DLAB so she could play a more direct role in helping lead the next cohort of facilitators and share her passion for D-LAB.

“Emily’s passion for the D-LAB program and commitment to the goals of the program are always in the forefront of her work,” says Robin Frye, Program Officer for DLAB.  “Emily is an excellent example of a student who can democratically be a peer in an elevated role and makes students feel comfortable coming to her with issues.”

Emily is currently a Learning Fellow for Classics 2, where one of her main responsibilities is to foster small group discussions based on the content for the course. Emily finds she frequently applies the facilitation skills she learned through D-LAB. Her D-LAB experience has also influenced her desire to pursue a career in teaching.

“Facilitation is a something you need to continue to practice, there is no exact formula,” says Emily.

This summer Emily plans on participating in a summer internship with Exeter Academy, where she will assist with their leadership program for high school students. She applied for the position because of its overlap of facilitating, teaching, and mentoring involved with the work. She looks forward to this experience being another opportunity to apply the skills she learned through her D-LAB experience. 

- Submitted by Bethany Malzman '19, Rockefeller Center Student Program Assistant for Communications