International Student Association: Public Relations Officer
International Student Organization, more commonly known as ISA, is a social organization for local and international students alike. It is made to be a safe space where members can enter an environment free from any sort of discrimination or hardship that may come with who they are. It is a place to meet new friends, gain new and fun experiences, and to converse with people that you would have no thought thinking you would meet. That is at least what ISA was to me as I ran to become an officer.
As an officer in an organization separate from the University of Hawaii, It was a constant task to lead ourselves, as leaders for those we are responsible for. As an officer, I’ve contributed not only to the internal workings between other officers, planning of activities, but also the face of the organization. What I dealt with not only as a singular person, but as a member of a larger team, are experiences that can only be learned from high stress situations and failures. I and my team learn from our mistakes and we make better.
Working in an organization is not only regular tasks and fulfilling them, but also preparing for the unexpected, and sometime, even uncomfortable situations. Through these, we learned how to respond on the fly to situations that are unfavorable or from which cannot be fixed but instead, salvaged.
My experiences working as an officer in an RIO have been invaluable and I feel that it makes my capabilities in working with a team stronger.
