It's easy to call Nerisa Lyn Rasing's relationship with Temple University Ambler symbiotic. She has given the campus as much dedicated support during her years at Temple as she has received from the campus community.

"If I were to give my best description of the Temple Ambler campus, I would call it my second home. There's never really been a time that I wasn't an active student — I knew coming in that I wanted to be as involved as I could while balancing those activities with class and work," said Rasing, who will graduate with a degree in Accounting. "Temple's Fox School of Business was recommended to me by a friend who said that if they had to do it over again, that's the route they would have taken. It was the right choice for me and the location and convenience of Temple Ambler made it the right campus for me while giving me full access to Temple as a whole."  

Since arriving at Temple, Rasing has been a dedicated Owl through and through. According to Rasing, she'll be staying close to home following graduation as she continues to work in the General Accounting office at Temple's Main Campus.

"I took two accounting classes in high school and simply knew it was the right path for me. I started in Temple's accounting office during a between-semester externship program and they decided to take me on as an intern," she said. "Right now, I'm databasing polices and procedure to ensure they are up-to-date. I'm also being trained to work with cash flows by the senior accountant."

2015 was Rasing's third year volunteering with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program at Ambler. Volunteers in this program provide free federal and state tax preparation for low- to moderate-income families and students.

"I have the opportunity to file tax returns, do hands-on work with clients and experience responsibilities that pertain to my major. It is a great learning experience, an opportunity to get my foot in the door with accounting professionals and also an excellent way to give back to the community," she said. "From my freshman year to my senior year, I've been blessed to have the opportunity to become involved in various projects and organizations that have allowed me to improve me professional and leadership skills while working to make a difference at the university and our surrounding communities."

To call Rasing, a Temple University Diamond Leader since 2013, an active student is a dramatic understatement.

"I accumulated and successfully completed the program to become a Diamond Leader through the leadership programs given at the Ambler campus. The Diamond Leaders are a distinguished team of Temple students who 'learn, grow and lead' with integrity," she said. "I got to be closely involved with the Fall Leadership Conference and Inclusive Leadership Conference, which allowed me to network with other student leaders at Temple and at other universities. Being involved in the Diamond Leaders gives me determination to continually grow as a leader by bringing out the best in others and allowing me to learn more about myself."

Rasing began working for the Office of Student Life during her freshman year, embracing the job so fully she was named Student Activities Worker of the Year. During her sophomore year, she became Treasurer of the Ambler Student Government Student Association and returned the following year to become Vice President of Student Affairs. During her senior year, she has become the peer advisor for the current group of Student Government Association leaders.

Rasing has been a volunteer at Temple University Ambler EarthFest and the March of Dimes March for Babies four years running, a participant in the Dress for Success "fashion show" and résumé workshops, and has led or participated in charitable events for organizations such as Love our Children USA, Autism Speaks, the American Red Cross, Impact Thrift Store, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Cradles to Crayons. She additionally helped guide volunteers in making "no-sew" blankets for Children's Hospital of Philadelphia during the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service, an event sponsored by Ambler Owlreach, an organization dedicated to community service of which Rasing has been a part for four years.

Currently Co-President of Ambler Owlreach, Rasing plans to continue active volunteer work with Cradles to Crayons in Conshohocken, an organization that provides children living in low-income and homeless situations with essential items they need to thrive at home, at school and at play.

"Cradles to Crayons is an organization that is growing every day. The warehouse is staffed with 15 members and the rest of the work is done by the many volunteers that come every day to help out — I'm there at least once a week, more if I can," she said.  "At the end of 2014, I became the youngest 'Champion Volunteer' in the Cradles to Crayons Champion Volunteer Corps, which consists of adult volunteers who take a leadership role to help recruit and guide volunteers in their communities and/or in the Giving Factory. As a section leader, I also provide orientation programs to the volunteers."

Her dedication to campus and community has not gone unnoticed. Rasing was named this year's Student Leader of the Year at Temple University Ambler and Owlreach won Student Organization of the Year.

"It is truly an amazing honor. I think that all of the student leaders at Ambler are 'student leaders of the year,' because every one of us have worked to make a difference at the university in some way," she said. "I don't think of Student Leader of the Year as a title or a recognition of accomplishments, it's a learning experience. It's seeing what kind of leader you can be, how you can apply your leadership skills and strengths in the real world and how to contribute to a team. It's not the culmination of what I've already done; it's the beginning of what I want to do next."