AUDREY PACHUTA (on tape): After this, at 1:15, we need all coordinators very quickly in 311.
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At cherubs, a Community and academic associate, also known as a CAA, oversees every aspect of the program. They’re the first person you go to when you lock yourself out of your room and the person to answer last minute questions about the latest feature article you have due tomorrow. This year, there are four CAAs–Gabi Egozi, Ilse von Heimburg, Audrey Pachuta and Juliet Allan–but three of the four had never experienced cherubs in-person.
GABI EGOZI: I know I had the best time even online and I really wanted to experience what it was like in person.
ILSE VON HEIMBURG: Being an online cherub, we only really got the academic part of it.
AUDREY: I’ve always been jealous of people who got to come to cherubs and have all this fun, so I’m just so excited to see what it’s like in person.
When Ilse was a cherub in 2022, the program was remote, so students had to get creative to build relationships.
ILSE: We had a shared Snap story and we had an Instagram page and we utilized Zoom direct messaging. But beyond that, we really didn’t get to know each other that well.
Experiencing cherubs a second-time around as a CAA gave Ilse the opportunity to build the connections she missed out on previously.
ILSE: Being here now and really getting to know all the cherubs and really getting to know the instructors and the dorm staff, that’s been so, so great, and I’m so glad that I at least got to do it the second time around.
One of the four CAAs, Juliet, was an online cherub in 2021, but got to experience the program in person as a CAA last year.
JULIET ALLAN: This year has been a little different because I am the senior CAA, so I have been able to sort of show Gabi, Ilse and Audrey the ropes. I’m more familiar with the program, so I’ve taken on a sort of slightly different role, especially because I’m older. Older and wiser, even if it’s only by a year. I feel like it does make a difference.
The CAAs still have fun with each other when they’re not counting off cherubs before class. Ilse and Gabi often make each other laugh.
ILSE: We do this thing called ‘What’s in my bag,’ and that I literally do not think I’ve ever laughed harder. It’s like one thing where you just had to be there for the inside joke, but I’m like, literally cracking up about it thinking about it, because it’s so good. She’s hysterical. She makes me laugh the most.
But in the end, the CAAs come back to teach journalism, something that is especially true for Gabi.
GABI: We did a social media PowerPoint, we went over ledes with the students. There were so many different assignments that we took on as CAA to then teach the students and I think that was so special that we were able to do that.
Audrey also loves working with the cherubs on their articles.
AUDREY: I really like just sitting down with people, one-on-one, and talking through their story, offering the advice that I can, but I also learn a lot from them, so that’s been really cool. There is no better job in the world. There is nothing I’d rather be doing. This has truly been the best summer of my life.
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From Evanston, this is Grace Sharma.
