West Chester Student Experience is a program at West Chester University that oversees the commuter and off campus student population. The program is aimed to support students that do not have the support they need or have so. By having this organization, students can join to have a better experience on campus during their college experience. There are two different parts of Student Experience, Off-campus and Commuter. Within the two, there are student leaders and mentors guiding the program themselves, Off campus Assistants and Commuter Assistants.
I am a Commuter Assistant. I mentor students who commute to campus and help them overall with their college experience. It takes more effort as a commuter student to experience things that on-campus students might have an easier time doing. This results in a smoother transition.
Jillian Vinciguerra works on the commuter side of Student Experience. She is a graduate assistant in the program. She founded and designed an honor society for commuter students. The society is called Kappa Alpha. It is for students who have a 3.0 GPA or higher and commute to campus. She welcomed 45 new members into the program.
This is the only Honor Society that oversees the commuter and off campus population in any institution around the world. Being the first is a huge accomplishment for the university. I had the opportunity to interview the founder, Jillian to get the insight on Kappa Alpha at West Chester University.
Caroline (Me): What was the start of your process and your overall motivation for creating this only standing honor society for commuter students?
Jillian V: “In the spring of 2025, my internship supervisors in the Office of Student Experience here at WCU tasked me with creating an honor society specifically for commuter students. My process started with a lot of research to see if something like this existed anywhere else, so I spent a lot of time looking at other universities in the surrounding area for inspiration. In my research, I found that nothing like this really exists at many universities so from there, I started looking at honor societies in general to start building a foundation for what this honor society could be.”
Caroline (Me): Was there a specific moment where you realized, “this needs to exist”?
Jillian V: “When Dr. McCarthy and Kelsey Frank first opened the conversation about creating this, it really clicked that the commuter student experience is different from that of their on-campus peers. Commuters interact with resources, experiences, and opportunities in a different way due to the on-the-go nature of their schedule and they don’t always have extra time to dedicate to getting involved on campus so I really wanted to create something that felt special to commuter students. I wanted it to feel like it was created specifically for them to not only recognize and celebrate their achievements, but to foster a stronger sense of community among our commuter students as a whole.”
Caroline (Me): How does Kappa Alpha try to change or improve the commuter experience?
Jillian V: “We really focus on recognizing the unique challenges that commuter students face and celebrating their ability and drive to overcome them while meeting the demands of being a college student. Since we just inducted our founding class of 45 members earlier this spring, we are excited to host a number of commuter-focused events in April to bring our community together. We also offer leadership opportunities on our Board of Directors for any commuter student that is passionate about enhancing the commuter experience so that Kappa Alpha maintains the intended design of “for commuters, by commuters”.”
Caroline (Me): What challenges do commuter students face that residential students might not fully understand?
Jillian V: “Commuter students have the added challenges of navigating the unexpected hiccups that come with a commute whether it be traffic, car trouble, inclement weather; all of these are factors that play a role in the commuter experience. How they approach time and task management also looks different. It takes just that much more planning to account for travel time, packing everything you need for a given day, and finding a place to call ‘home’ on campus for a few hours in between classes and other commitments. While some commuters may live close enough to run back home if they forget something, others commute from a much farther distance and don’t have that option, so it really requires a lot of planning, thinking ahead, and organization before they even begin their commute to campus.”
Caroline: What does “honor society” mean in the context of commuters specifically?
Jillian V: “In the context of commuters specifically, I think “honor society” really means recognizing not only academic achievement but the ability to navigate all of the challenges I mentioned earlier. When I started thinking about the meaning and intentionality behind Kappa Alpha, I started thinking about who or what commuter students really are and I came up with the motto “Kinesis Aretēs” which translates to “excellence in motion”. For me, this captures exactly what being a commuter student means.”
Caroline: What kind of community are you trying to build through this organization?
Jillian: “When I started working with my Board of Directors, we really started to think about what community truly means to commuter students. We wanted to create something that commuters would feel excited to belong to and would offer more opportunities to connect with other commuter students beyond their first year at WCU. I think ahead to their graduation ceremony where they will be able to wear their green and yellow honor cord and recognize each other as fellow commuters/members and that means something. I also want our members to feel empowered and proud of the fact that they are high achievers on top of navigating the extra demands of being a commuter.”
Caroline: What impact have you already seen on members since starting the organization?
Jillian: “The Spring Induction Ceremony is a memory that I will hold close to my heart for a long time. I remember looking around the room and seeing members interact with one another, smiling, meeting new people, and just celebrating with each other for a few hours. I saw new friendships being made and it really felt like a special night for everyone in the room. As we continue to grow, I’m excited to see how we can continue to make an impact on the commuter experience overall.”
Caroline: What has been the most challenging part of creating this organization from the ground up?
Jillian: “I think figuring out how all of the moving pieces would come together but I have an incredible Board of Directors that I am fortunate to collaborate with. Vivian Ramsey, Maura Shandy, and Maria Del Carmen Mendez Zavala all brought incredible insight and ideas to the process of building Kappa Alpha and to see it come to fruition at our induction ceremony was incredibly rewarding and exciting.”
Caroline: How has founding Kappa Alpha changed you as a leader or person?
Jillian: “As a leader, I think it really taught me about intentionality when it comes to designing and implementing an experience. I really had to look at the big picture and prioritize collaboration when it came time to put the pieces together. It also gave me the opportunity to mentor an incredible team as we worked towards a common goal, and I really learned a lot in that process. As a person, it taught me to trust my instincts and know that it’s ok to re-evaluate and pivot if something isn’t working.”
Caroline: What do you hope Kappa Alpha becomes in the next few years and what does it mean to you that you were the founding member?
Jillian: “I really hope that Kappa Alpha continues to be something that commuter students are excited to belong to. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to host more events for our commuter students and provide more opportunities for engagement, leadership, and fun! Being the founder of Kappa Alpha means more than I can say and I cannot thank my supervisors, Lexie and Kelsey, as well as my Board of Directors enough for believing in me and helping me bring Kappa Alpha to life.”
