Passion for people helps Vasseur discover a new path

STORY BY SARAH FULTON

For six years, senior Zach Vasseur was on track to graduate with a degree in actuarial science.

In the middle of his junior year, he realized his new passion was helping people.

How would you describe yourself coming in as a first year?

I am originally from Saint Louis. I came into Drake as an actuarial science major.

I originally picked actsci my sophomore year of high school.

So when I came to Drake I kind of took it and ran with it.

I got so involved with the curriculum and being involved and everything with the major that I never took a step back to see ‘Hey, this is not for me.’

My passions have changed. I have changed as a person.

I hate my classes. I actually like working with people. So I discovered I wanted to change my career path into something where I can work with people.

I changed my major halfway through my junior year, so pretty late in the game.

I realized that I not only want to work with people but have an impact. Pay it forward.

Coming into Drake I was a lot different.

I was a lot more introverted. I never got out of my comfort zone. I was okay doing the same thing over and over again.

But the way I was able to discover who I was becoming involved across campus.

The thing I first got involved with was Gamma Iota Sigma.

I rechartered the fraternity and they made me president for a year.

One of the main takeaways is that I had to get out of my comfort zone to meet new people.

I was forced to do things I normally wouldn’t want to.

I got really involved. Overinvolved with working and things like that.

Outside from getting out of my comfort zone, I have become a lot more extroverted.

I have discovered what my true passions are. They are more service-related, like working with people, helping them discover who they are and what their passions are.

I like helping people figure out their problems. My personality has totally changed. I am a lot more extroverted and driven.

What did you change your major to?

My new major is management with an HR concentration. I do not really want to go into HR or anything.

Next year, I will be working for ATO nationals. I am super pumped about it. I am going to be on the expansion team traveling around to different schools helping them start up different chapters of their own.

When I came into college I never thought of myself going Greek and here I am going to be working for headquarters when I graduate.

Do you think you would have been prepared to do such an extroverted job as a first-year?

Not at all.

I came in and I made a couple of friends that I was close with. It wasn’t until sophomore year when I started branching out and meeting a lot more people.

Now when I go to Olmsted, I particularly live in Olmsted, it is nice that I know people there versus freshman year I didn’t. Now, I can start up a conversation with someone I just met.

Was there any specific experience that showed you that you had changed?

There was this time sophomore year. I did Adams Academy, this was sophomore year, so back when Jan was here.

We did the Meyers Briggs test. I took it a couple times in high school and I was an (introvert).

When we got our results back, before we looked at them, Jan said pick where you think you would be.

I was like “I was an (introvert) in high school so I am now.”

When I opened the results, I got pretty strong extrovert. I was like ‘This is wrong. I demand a recount, this is bad.’ All of my friends at my table were like, ‘Zach, you have changed.’

You are an extrovert and you don’t really realize it.

That was one of the things that was hard to realize. I never knew how much of an impact it had.