I can’t believe it finally happened! After hours of intense and dedicated work throughout the semester, my community project dream has come real this past Sunday. I remember presenting my project to my advisers at the beginning of the semester… They weren't too excited. They thought I would fail. “For my event, I want to make an impact on the larger community, I want people to have fun and actually enjoy the event, and I want a high participation rate, which is going to raise a significant sum in donations for a great cause—” I told the PTK leaders and advisers at our first official meeting. “That’s why I decided I will organize a beach volleyball tournament to fund-raise for United Way’s Educational Program.” Their response was to table my project proposal, which means to put it on hold, and they suggested I either scale it down or I change it altogether. Since the beginning, I was very aware it would have been hard. I knew there were plenty of obstacles I hadn’t calculated, which would have popped out from nowhere and moved the finish line farther and farther. But that was exactly what I was excited about.
I was excited about the process more than about the outcome; and with good reason. Making this event possible required a lot of planning, networking, and extensive use of intuition in order to figure out what was needed to make this happen. There were no guidelines, no directions, no rules. Just me, my skills, and my goal.
The first thing I figured out was that I had very limited resources. I had no money to begin with and I also didn't have much time available, working on two part-time jobs, volunteering 10-15 hours a week, and working on my applications and SAT prep… All while taking a full load of challenging classes… So that’s when the excitement begun. First I had to think… What do I need? How do I get everything I need in no time and for free? After figuring what to do, I just had to do it.
The volleyball courts needed to be reserved, a $300 expense that was covered by a grant I obtained from the International Student Support Program. I also needed balls, tables, canopies, and supplies, which I was able to borrow at no cost with precious help from Michael Ayres, SBCC Housing and Activities coordinator. A party is not a party without quality music, so we rented a PA system; PTK was able to cover this expense, and my friend DJ Vasudev drove the energy with his catchy mixes, which made the event special. (Check out his music, he is really good and a wonderful person!).
I also planned to provide free lunch at the event, a feature that was going to cost over $400… So I started talking about this to several people, until finally I talked to the right person: my friend Sophie, who through her own connections was able to get a delicious Mexican restaurant to sponsor the whole thing… For free!
The last main feature on my list was to find a desirable prize to be awarded to the winners. To do this, I obtained a $250 grant from the Associated Student Government. What I think is cool, is not really receiving the funds but rather the experience! That Friday I woke up earlier, dressed up professionally, and presented a project in front of 20 representatives of the Student Senate. I had to answer on the spot to questions like why some information doesn’t match on the grant application, or why should the Senate award us this grant in the first place. This “finding solutions to abruptly arising problems” is what I enjoyed the most in working on my project. I also really enjoyed working in a team with my friends-- and PTK leaders--, whose contribution was fundamental in setting up this event. And I was also very happy to receive much interest and help from a lot of volunteers on the day of the event. Overall, I have grown as a person and practiced many important skills, such as time, people, and resources management; public speaking, networking, and problem-solving, and I have really challenged my self-confidence and leadership, which makes me very proud of this achievement.
I was excited about the process more than about the outcome; and with good reason. Making this event possible required a lot of planning, networking, and extensive use of intuition in order to figure out what was needed to make this happen. There were no guidelines, no directions, no rules. Just me, my skills, and my goal.
The first thing I figured out was that I had very limited resources. I had no money to begin with and I also didn't have much time available, working on two part-time jobs, volunteering 10-15 hours a week, and working on my applications and SAT prep… All while taking a full load of challenging classes… So that’s when the excitement begun. First I had to think… What do I need? How do I get everything I need in no time and for free? After figuring what to do, I just had to do it.
The volleyball courts needed to be reserved, a $300 expense that was covered by a grant I obtained from the International Student Support Program. I also needed balls, tables, canopies, and supplies, which I was able to borrow at no cost with precious help from Michael Ayres, SBCC Housing and Activities coordinator. A party is not a party without quality music, so we rented a PA system; PTK was able to cover this expense, and my friend DJ Vasudev drove the energy with his catchy mixes, which made the event special. (Check out his music, he is really good and a wonderful person!).
I also planned to provide free lunch at the event, a feature that was going to cost over $400… So I started talking about this to several people, until finally I talked to the right person: my friend Sophie, who through her own connections was able to get a delicious Mexican restaurant to sponsor the whole thing… For free!
The last main feature on my list was to find a desirable prize to be awarded to the winners. To do this, I obtained a $250 grant from the Associated Student Government. What I think is cool, is not really receiving the funds but rather the experience! That Friday I woke up earlier, dressed up professionally, and presented a project in front of 20 representatives of the Student Senate. I had to answer on the spot to questions like why some information doesn’t match on the grant application, or why should the Senate award us this grant in the first place. This “finding solutions to abruptly arising problems” is what I enjoyed the most in working on my project. I also really enjoyed working in a team with my friends-- and PTK leaders--, whose contribution was fundamental in setting up this event. And I was also very happy to receive much interest and help from a lot of volunteers on the day of the event. Overall, I have grown as a person and practiced many important skills, such as time, people, and resources management; public speaking, networking, and problem-solving, and I have really challenged my self-confidence and leadership, which makes me very proud of this achievement.
And to make it all sweeter, there's the fat that we also raised over $500, to be allocated to United Way's Educational Program for local children.
On a final note, I want to send out a huge THANKS!! to all the people who helped me make this possible. I am really excited about it and working with all of you toward this goal has been the best experience!
A presto,
- Fede
P.S.: Check out some pictures from the event in my next post!
A presto,
- Fede
P.S.: Check out some pictures from the event in my next post!
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