Katie Donley ’13 said there are several reasons she wants to be YCC events director, but she said one is strongest: making people happy.

A current YCC representative for Ezra Stiles, Donley represented her college last year on the FCC, chairing the Freshman Screw committee in the fall and serving as FCC vice president in the spring. Next year, she said, she hopes to focus on organizing new low-cost events by utilizing existing resources, such as Yale Dining. Her ideas include a celebration of Elihu Yale’s birthday, a cabaret and outdoor movie screenings.

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“I know we’re close on budget to make new events happen,” she said. “But if we’re creative enough we can work with the resources we already have.”

For the past two years she has been strongly involved in organizing YCC events, particularly the foam party, the Last Comic Standing, and last year’s Freshman Screw. Her latest project Electro, a Becton Plaza event featuring student DJs and lasers, has really tested her event-planning skills, she said; so far she has managed to get a $1,500 discount on the lasers and free refreshments.

“Things don’t happen if you don’t ask,” Donley said.

Her peers pointed to Donley’s dedication as a reason for her candicacy: Despite not being on the Spring Fling Committee or YCC during her freshman year, Jonathan Wu ’11, 2009-’10 president of YCC, said she worked until 5 a.m. the morning after Spring Fling to help clean up Old Campus.

“Whenever we needed extra help at an event, Katie would always be the first to respond. We could ask her to do something, and it would be done within the hour,” Wu said. “Katie is reliable, resourceful and awesome to work with.”

Donley conducts research in psychology professor Laurie Santos’ monkey laboratory and was the costume designer and production assistant for the Yale College Musical.