What's On Veronica Perondi's Desk?
The programs coordinator of the student union shares the stories behind the items in her workspace.
It takes an organized and dedicated individual to oversee the planning and operation of each event to ensure everything goes down without a hitch.
That person is Veronica Perondi, programs coordinator for the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union. Perondi’s main responsibility is serving as advisor to the Aztec Student Union Board, which oversees operations of the student union as well as program planning on behalf of the Associated Students government. There are six committees within the board that plan a variety of events, ranging from Aztec Nights to GreenFest to Homecoming and dozens of performances.
Perondi directly oversees four student assistants who work with student chairs of the committees to plan events from concept to execution.
“What I like about my position at San Diego State is that my role with these students is to develop their professional skills,” Perondi said. “These students are in charge of committees with large budgets, so it is a large responsibility for students. Taking them through the learning process and helping them be successful and develop their skills is what I love the most.”
A quick view of Perondi’s desk shows she has put her personal touch on almost every part of her workspace from decorations to the practical items she uses daily.
“I’m very big on making my space comfortable, since it’s where I spend the majority of my time,” Perondi said. “When I worked in the International Student Center, students would give me keepsakes. They are conversation starters for people who don’t know me, but I think they also help create a more welcoming environment for students because they can see me as a person, not just an adviser."
“Organized chaos” is what Perondi calls the large collection of items on her desk.
“It looks chaotic during the day, but every day before I go home, I clean my desk,” Perondi said. “A clean desk allows me to start every day fresh and not become overwhelmed. I am meticulously organized.”
Here’s a look at some special items on her desk.
1. The love sign: “For my wedding, someone had the idea of doughnuts since I do not like frosting on cake. I thought it was awesome. So we ordered 200 Krispy Kreme doughnuts and stacked them on a cupcake stand and put this sign on top.”
2. Silver water cup: “I’m in a lot of meetings throughout the day, and I’m moving around constantly, so this is just one of the things I always have with me. I've had this cup for years, but I have a bad habit of losing it, so everyone knows if they see it somewhere other than my desk to just return it to me."
3. Calendar on her desk: “This calendar is the spring calendar of all the Aztec Student Union Board events and important dates. I have a paper version so I can write notes quickly. I also have all the events in my Google calendar. This semester, there are 61 individual events that ASUB is planning. It's a lot to keep track of."
4. Hedgehog: “I have a weird fascination with hedgehogs. I don't know why. I’ve never seen a hedgehog, but for whatever reason, I like them. My mom got this for me about two years ago. His name is Spike, and his birthday is three days before mine according to his tag. A fun fact about baby hedgehogs: they are called hoglets."
5. Paper flowers: “These were decorations at the wedding of my best friend from high school in Julian. A talented friend of hers made them for her because it was a rustic theme. The next morning, people were cleaning up and they were just going to throw them away, so I took some down and kept them.”
