A little under a year ago I was elected president of the
Journalism Student Advisory Council. I was nervous. I avoided clubs in high
school and have never been a “club person.” Well that changed quickly, when I
took over as president of JSAC.
When I took over we had $160 in our club account, I am
pleased to say that we have raised over $1300 and donated some of it to
charity.
We just had our last meeting and I couldn’t help but shed a
tear when I got home. Bittersweet
indeed. I have learned so much during my year as president and will take with
me these life lessons into my future endeavors.
These girls, yes my club happens to consist of awesome femme
fatales, have warmed my heart and become my personal friends. They put up with
my flightiness, extreme positivity, and sarcastic humor.
I learned so much being president of a club and these are
just some of the major things I have learned as president:
1.
Take notes-In order to stay organized, it is
crucial to keep an organized notebook of things you want to discuss in
meetings, things previously discussed, and duties.
2.
Set a meeting agenda- It is so much easier to
have an effective club meeting if you have a clear idea of what you want to
discuss. That way the members know what is going on and you cover every topic
you planned on covering.
3.
Delegate- People join a club so they can be of
use and help out with things they enjoy doing. Get to know your members and
delegate according to their passions. No one wants to do things they hate
doing; they do enough of that in their classes. Give them duties they will enjoy doing.
4.
Feed yourself with food not power- No one likes
a dictator. Instead of being Mussolini, ask the members for their input. I tend to have a very chill attitude towards
life; I set all of our club meetings at Starbucks and each meeting was filled
with creativity, productivity, and most importantly-laughter.
5.
Follow through- these people depend on you to
lead them and get things done. If you promise to do something or execute an
event, in the words of Nike “JUST DO IT.”
6.
Enjoy it- I have enjoyed watching my members
grow personally and academically. I am so proud of everything we have
accomplished and treasure all the fun times we have had. From auctions to
dean’s lunches to our annual dinner, it has been a pleasure.
Each one of these girls has taught me something. I could not
have asked for more amazing members. Furthermore, I couldn’t think of better women
to spend my time with.
I know the next president will continue to do amazing
things with JSAC and will continue to make the Reynolds School of Journalism
proud.
Next semester, I will be a mentor for freshman and I cannot
wait to start that next chapter of my life and share my many life lessons,
learned the hard way of course, with freshman.
Huge journalism hugs
