Charlotte Roberts
Student Leader — A.S. Green Love Commissioner, Class of 2020
Title:
Associated Students, Student Success Stories
Scene:
Scene of Charlotte Roberts speaking to the camera.
Charlotte Roberts:
“Hi my name is Charlotte Roberts, I’m a sustainability major with a business minor, I am the commissioner for Associated Students Green Love.”
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Various scenes of Charlotte in the Aztec Student Union.
Charlotte Roberts:
“Associated Students is divided into several commissions that are all based off of A.S.’s values. And I joined the Green Love Commission my freshman year because not only is sustainability my major but it’s also something that’s really important to my community from where I came from.”
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Various scenes of Green Love events in the Aztec Student Union.
Charlotte Roberts:
“My main role as Green Love Commissioner was to manage the various subcommittees of Green Love and make sure that those leaders felt supported in whatever they were doing and whatever they needed.”
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Various scenes of Green Love events in the Aztec Student Union.
Charlotte Roberts:
“Another role I enjoyed as Green Love Commissioner was getting to sit on the Green Fest executive committee and plan events that promoted diversity, sustainability, and SDSU pride.”
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Various scenes of Green Love and GreenFest events in the Aztec Student Union.
Charlotte Roberts:
“Associated Students has been so beneficial to me because I’ve learned how to have productive conversations with people who have different values or different points of views and before in high school, I mainly hung out with students that agreed with me and prioritized sustainability, but now I’ve learned so much about the world like the political process and diversity and I know how to put on events with people from different backgrounds that can represent what the whole student body needs and wants.
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Scene of Charlotte greeting fellow students as she walks through the A.S. Office.
Charlotte Roberts:
I’ve also learned how to step out of my own interest and think about sustainability and how that means to different people and not just myself.”
Scene:
Scene of Charlotte greeting fellow students as she walks through the A.S. Office.
Various scenes of Green Love and GreenFest events in the Aztec Student Union.
Charlotte Roberts:
“Lastly what I love about my role with Associated Students is that I get to work to represent sustainability on a broader platform and try to think about what it means to thousands of students at SDSU rather than what it just means to me.”
Text:
“Find out more at AS.SDSU.EDU. Find us on facebook @ASSOCIATEDSTUDENTSSDSU or on Snapchat, Twitter, and instagram at @AS_SDSU”
Ironically, Sustainability major and former Associated Students Green Love commissioner, Charlotte Roberts’ father drives a concrete mixer, one of the most environmentally damaging vehicles. One would think this would cause some familial tension, but in Charlotte’s vision people and businesses that leave a massive carbon footprint are the ones that sustainability majors need to interact with the most.
Through her experience with Associated Students, Charlotte has one major takeaway. “I’ve learned to talk with other people who don’t necessarily wear and eat and do the same things as I do. I’ve also learned how to be wrong and how to be continuously questioned on your beliefs which is incredibly important. If you are going to be representing people, you should be criticized and questioned.”
Charlotte is deeply invested in creating a more sustainable world and through her interdisciplinary major, she has discovered an entire world of sustainable business which she hopes to explore professionally. Her everlasting debate is that of, “What goes into making stuff and what do we do with stuff after we’re done with it.” She jokes that her psychology major friends will counter that with, “What is stuff?”
From a young age, Charlotte displayed a great interest in nature and the environment, but she really found a way to channel her passion at SDSU. As she said, “I was really lonely when I first moved to San Diego and so I googled ‘SDSU environmental club’ and found Green Love. I then saw a Green Love table at an Associated Students Aztec Student Union Board (ASUB) event and had a 40 minute conversation with the commissioner. I had never met someone else who was vegan or so like me and she just made me feel so welcome.”
After a year with Green Love, Charlotte knew she wanted to be commissioner. She said, “I just ended up falling in love with the commission and becoming super involved and that’s when I decided to run for commissioner.” It wasn’t until she was commissioner that she realized she was part of something bigger. She saw first-hand the tools and leadership opportunities Associated Students provided students. “About halfway through the year I was like this isn’t just a commission. It’s something bigger. I’m in student government and in Associated Students. That’s when I decided I didn’t just want to be involved in Green Love anymore. I wanted to get more involved with other commissions and programs like Rock the Vote and the construction of the new Aztec Recreation Center,” she said.
A.S. also helped Charlotte center her career goals. With a broad major like sustainability, Charlotte was considering a number of professional paths. However, after being on a committee to choose and advise the contractors of the new Aztec Recreation Center, Charlotte decided that sustainable building was not the career she wanted to pursue but instead, resonates more with sustainable business, something she never expected.
For Charlotte, A.S. gave her a wonderful group of friends, skills, and life-lessons. “Being in A.S. connected me to the greater community. If I hadn’t explored this wonderful organization, I would probably only know other sustainability majors,” she said. In regards to her particular leadership position, Charlotte reflected, “It was scary to stand up in front of 40 people and mess up. I had embarrassing moments where people would tell me I could do something better or different but I learned that those pieces of embarrassing advice are incredibly helpful. I gained a lot of confidence and maturity through that.”
