When I started college, I was interested in getting involved with various clubs and organizations on campus. And so, I joined multiple in my first year at Rutgers—Camden. I would go to their events and meetings, meet new members, and have fun. However, once I got comfortable with college life as well as all the organizations I had joined, the next question for me was what I could do next to enhance my experience of being in college. After much thought and consideration, I decided that I would run for the executive board positions in a few organizations I am a part of to get more involved and have the best time possible during my college years.
Fast forward to today, after serving on multiple student leader positions for almost two years, students often ask me what is in it for me or why should one become a student leader? What started as a way for me to get more out of my time at Rutgers—Camden has now become much more than that. So, here is my take on the importance of being a student leader, what one gains from it, and why I encourage those who are thinking about becoming a student leader to go for it.
Being a leader of an organization means that you now have to carry on the mission and purpose of that organization and work towards those goals. It also means that you carry the values of the organization with you and represent them at all times. This ultimately has helped me find what are things I am passionate about, what my values are, and gave me experience on how to find organizations whose values match with mine and how to find the motivation to carry those values on.
Being a leader of an organization also means that now you have to decide and plan which direction you want the organization to take or what to achieve in long term as well as short term. This practice of goal setting and learning how to achieve those goals has helped me learn a lot about how I can set my personal and professional goals. Just like many of you, I made my fair share of mistakes throughout my time as a student leader. However, being a student leader has also taught me how to learn from the mistakes and to make sure I do not repeat them in the future. I also learned how to modify my goals accordingly to stay on the path of my ultimate personal and professional goals.
Once I became a student leader, I had to work with other members of the executive board to effectively plan and program and that has taught me the values of working in a team and how to work to everyone’s strengths and accommodate for weaknesses, all while learning from each other. Being a student leader has also taught me great communication skills needed to be a successful student leader. As a leader, I had to communicate properly and efficiently with other members of the executive board and with various outside vendors and professionals which my organizations partnered with for various events.
During college, we often have more than just one responsibility and that could include having a part/full-time job, the responsibility of taking care of family, etc., and adding the student leader responsibility on top of it can get quite burdensome. However, it has taught me to value my time and has encouraged me to try various techniques that I can use to manage my time between all of the responsibilities I have. Additionally, this added responsibility has also pushed me to learn how to prioritize various tasks at hand and learn how to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Another added benefit of being a student leader is to see your and your team’s ideas come to life and enjoy the gratification and the satisfaction you get when the events are successful after all your hard work. Seeing the members of the organization happy and carrying the mission of the organization forward has made all the hard work and time investment worth it being a student leader.
Lastly, all the memories you make with other student leaders and your peers are invaluable! Being a student leader has provided me the college experience I was looking for and will forever be one of my best memories in life.
Written by Abhi K., a Rutgers—Camden Undergraduate Student and Raptor Ambassador.