The Invasion of Privacy series usually highlights members of the Geneseo community who have one or two really interesting things to share. Junior Audrey Schiffhauer is under the lens this week because her list is closer to 10.
Schiffhauer, born in Boston, Ma. but a current resident of Hamburg, N.Y., wasted no time getting involved as a freshman. She is currently a member of the improvisational comedy troupe No Laugh Track Required, Swing Dance Club and the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and also works as a manager in the College Union.
Take a second to blink if you haven't; she's also a mathematics and secondary education double major, the vice president for the Ultimate Frisbee team, a campus tour guide for prospective students, the secretary of Invisible Children and a singer in the a cappella group Between the Lines. During the interview for this article, a passing friend of hers congratulated her on being awarded a spot as an Orientation Advisor for the upcoming summer.
"When I first came into school I went to every meeting that sounded interesting and stuck with a bunch of them," Schiffhauer said. "Maybe I went to way too many, but I just didn't want to give any of them up."
What's perhaps most astounding is the level of enthusiasm she maintains for each of the activities with which she's involved. "I didn't really know a lot about [Invisible Children] going in, but it seemed like an important social justice cause that I could get along with," she said. Schiffhauer said she was particularly proud of the money that the organization recently raised that went toward an "alarm system" implemented in Ugandan villages to warn inhabitants of militants that often kill or capture children.
Schiffhauer noted that while she wasn't raised in an overtly Christian household, her experiences in InterVarsity have been nothing short of incredible. "It's so great because we're a group of friends also growing together in Christ," she said. "Immediately when I joined it was like having a huge amount of supportive Christians there for me."
Of all her involvements, Schiffhauer said that her time in No Laugh Track Required has been the most influential – and the most enjoyable. "I grew up watching ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?' and was a little nervous when I tried out, but since then it's been one of the best things I've done while at school," she said. "Rehearsals are literally two hours of laughing. Everyone in the troupe becomes really good friends."
One might imagine that Schiffhauer's time is filled to the brim with activities, but that's only true to a certain extent. "I'm actually pretty free during the middle of the day," Schiffhauer said. "Nights are pretty busy with office hours or meetings, but when I don't have those, I usually have time to spend with my friends."
Schiffhauer is looking to move to Chicago after she graduates next year where she hopes to immerse herself in improv while hopefully attending graduate school for education. "I can't believe how much I love improv, and how much there still is to learn. I want to try and work my way into the improv and comedy scene there," she said.
Schiffhauer's love for her extracurricular activities could span the length of an Ultimate Frisbee field, but whether she's singing with Between the Lines, telling prospective students about her genuine love for Geneseo or swing dancing on Tuesday nights, Schiffhauer is clearly making the most of her time here at school. "I usually don't have much time to be alone with myself and do nothing, but why would I want that anyway?"