Community College Month Q & A: Jaren Haskins ‘17
April is Community College Month. To celebrate, each week we are recognizing an outstanding member of the Middlesex College community throughout the month of April.
Jaren Haskins graduated in 2017 with an associate degree in Business Administration and Management. He is the founder of an anime convention called “Kogaracon.”
Q: How did you end up at Middlesex College?
A: I was originally going to Middlesex College way back in 2007 graduating from Edison High School, this was the plan to start Middlesex and head to Rutgers University. Upon coming to Middlesex College, I mainly went to school for journalism because of my writing abilities, however after getting involved with clubs on campus I discovered my true passion which is event planning and project management.
Q: In 2014, you created an anime convention called Kogaracon. What has that been like for you? What role, if any, did Middlesex College play in your success in that industry?
A: Creating Kogaracon has been one of the greatest accomplishments I’ve had to this date, creating the con was a lot of work and took a lot of time, energy, and effort but the result has always been completely worth it. Being an alumnus of Middlesex College made this show what it is today without meeting a lot of the faculty administrative team being a part of clubs on campus also being an employee on campus to have the faculty have full trust in me being able to do this event would not have been possible if I never made the connections needed to have Kogaracon be this successful.
Q: Is there a professor or staff member who has helped you navigate college life and academics?
A: There have been several staff members who have helped shape the way I view and pursue all the ideas that helped create not just categorical ion but any other ideal or event I have in the future. These facilities include counseling career services, academic advising, and student life. Without these amenities on campus, I do not believe the career that I have chosen for myself would be able to take off the way it has.
Q: Who inspires you?
A: The two main people who inspire me are my late mother Peggy Haskins and my father Jerome Haskins they have always believed in me even as a child. They would tell me to always be a leader and not a follower and to work hard so that I may do my best so that I can be smart and educated. Other people who have inspired my conventional outlook would be the mentors that I’ve had throughout my career as part of the anime circuit the main person who has always looked after me is Jason Lafarte, we call him Boston he is taking me under his wing and showed me the ways of how to properly lead a team and help jumpstart my convention career.
Q: Do you have advice for current students?
A: Yes of course, for all new students or even current students, the one thing I would suggest to do is to please get involved on campus, whether it’s for the club a community service activity if you’re going to see a play or even if you want to do tutoring or even getting a job on campus get involved. Do not have this be the 13th grade that people seem to think it is this is a real college with real benefits you just must be able to take advantage of every opportunity that comes in front of you. If you do want to do something that isn’t available on campus create it and go to student life make sure to talk to them about a club that you may want to start go to academic advising to make sure that you are on the path that you want to be on to graduate and finally if you want to look into certain careers that you feel are best suited for you head to counseling career services and they will be able to give you of their words of wisdom and advice and help put you on the right track.
