For those of you who don’t know, I attended an all girls’ catholic high school, Notre Dame, where I played varsity softball and was a member of the Women’s Issues Club. During the club’s meetings, we discussed topics varying from derogatory language in today’s music, to abortion, and the difference in pay between men and women. I did not step up to the plate and lead these meetings. I would attend, participate in the discussion, and look forward to the next Wednesday we would be gathering. Nor did I become a team captain on the varsity softball team. I just attended club meetings and played on the field. My lack of initiative in high school led me to be more curious in college.
When I first started classes at Baruch, I didn’t really think about what it meant to be a part of student life, let alone being on an organization’s board member team. I knew I had to join something in order to make my experience worthwhile at a commuter school. I started by visiting a few clubrooms and attending events hosted by the club that interested me the most: Women in Business. After a few weeks as a freshman, I knew I wanted to join. I decided to sign up for the fundraising committee, where I would assist in posting flyers throughout campus, bringing in baked goods, as well as manning booths at Pink and Denim Day (PDD). I applied to be co-chair of the fundraising committee, but did not receive the position. As you can see, this did not deter me from joining the organization. I knew it was something that I wanted to be a part of, so I stuck with it. At the end of my sophomore year, I decided to run for VP of Fundraising and got the position! I didn’t really think about all of the work I would really be putting into spearheading PDD that next year, but I knew that I would learn a lot along the way. This was a HUGE learning experience for me and is what led me to my future with WIB, as Executive Vice President. I wish I would have stepped up to the plate and ran for a board position earlier into my college career. From my experience, I want to share with you reasons as to why you should run for the WIB board or e-board sooner rather than later. I hope these reasons encourage you to run!
To develop your leadership skills: By managing a committee or board on your very own, you will gain the skills that you will need in the real world! At some point in your life, you will need to lead a meeting, manage a team, and ensure everything goes smoothly – your first step to do this is with WIB.
To gain organization and management skills: By spearheading an event, planning a marketing promo video, or managing the WIB blog, you will be gaining experience in matters that you might be working on in your future career. Don’t be surprised when interviewers ask you about these awesome projects!
To learn how to work on a team: As surprising as this may be (NOT), many people don’t know how to work well in a team. By running for the board you will definitely learn what it is like to compromise, help your colleagues with projects, and make the entire club function as a whole. After all, teamwork makes the dream work!
To network with other clubs and professionals: You will be meeting plenty of students from other organizations along the way! Yes, you can do this without running for the board, but you’ll definitely have plenty of more chances to make friends with people who are passionate about the same topics that you are passionate about. You will also have more opportunities to connect with professionals, as you will most likely be their direct contact when they head to Baruch for WIB events. As you know, these relationships can potentially lead to an internship, job, or even a mentor!
To learn what it takes to run something: Many of us are not familiar with how an organization on campus actually works. You’ll learn about many aspects of the club that you probably didn’t know about beforehand, such as how student life is involved, our club’s budget, and much more.
To make valuable friendships: You need to have balance in your life or else you probably won’t be productive when it comes to work or school. By joining the board, you will be making many friendships that will hopefully last a lifetime. Of course obstacles arise at moments, but they get resolved and life goes on. Enjoy the friends you make and have fun while college lasts!