Author: Ethan Morlu

Education: Mechanical Engineering Major

Leadership Track Status: Completed

State your motivation for joining the RHA Executive Board.

Being on the executive board for RHA this past year has been such a fulfilling and fun experience. I’ve been able to serve residents by representing them and their interests in meetings with the Director of Housing Residence Life, connected with hall council officers through socials, trainings, and LCs, and been able to spearhead development of the organization through our goals. I’ve had so much fun interacting with hall council officers, attending conferences, and having a greater impact on residents that I want to continue to impact campus next year.

Please discuss any obligations (work, extracurricular, and otherwise) that you anticipate having external to RHA during the duration of your intended term and how you plan to balance/prioritize your commitments.

During next year, my only major plan is to be on the executive board of RHA. This past year, I have successfully led RHA while also being the Treasurer for the Wrestling Club @ Georgia Tech, President of the Pi Tau Sigma Mechanical Engineering Honor Society, a grader for Rigid Body Dynamics (ME 2202), and involved in research in Dr. Hu’s lab. Next year, I will be stepping back in many of these organizations, serving as just a member or a student advisor. I will also not be a grader for a class. These other organizations and research will take up a maximum of 10 hours per week. When on the RHA Executive Board, RHA will be my top priority. All other commitments are flexible with attendance and commitment level, and I am able, willing, and planning to lower my commitment so I pour all the time I possibly can into my responsibilities for RHA. Clear communication is important to me, so I will make sure to communicate all conflicts that may arise with the rest of the executive board. I will make sure to put RHA and residents first, and then my other commitments will come second.

Executive President

Please discuss any relevant prior experience and how it has prepared you for the position(s) you are
applying for.

I have served in the position of Executive President for the last year. I have a lot of passion for this role, as it gives me the opportunity to understand firsthand the responsibility that comes with representing residents across campus, and the actions I need to take to ensure the organization runs properly. I develop myself as a person, while serving the campus community. As president this year, I have had the chance to meet with the Director of Housing and Residence Life, SGA’s Housing Chair, and SGA’s VP of Campus Affairs to discuss issues that residents had communicated to us, and how we can best use RHA’s budget and the DOH’s budget to fund initiative to better provide resources to residents who might not have them. I personally worked on helping SGA finalize the Menstrual Product Program, bringing these products to some dorms around campus to assist students that face troubles getting these products. I have also been working with SGA on a first aid kit initiative, trying to get first aid supplies into dorms to provide immediate care resources to students who lack kits themselves. Being able to advocate for improvements in the dorm has been a very rewarding experience, where I’ve developed the skills needed for effective communication of issues and generating solutions to the issues. I have also been able to lead the organization through achieving its goals for the year. With respect to making the organization more visible across campus, I’ve been a part of the execution of all our major programs, from Fall Festival to our Week of Welcome events. In addition, I also had the opportunity to represent the organization and all residents in public spaces like the fall organization fair, a well-attended public MLK panel hosted by the department of housing, and soon the groundbreaking of the new student dormitory at Curran street. For the goal of building community within the organization, I have been able to work with the Director of Development about how to make social events more engaging, lunch and learns more interesting, and how to improve our trainings all around. I was also able to institute a plan to have the executive board attend more Hall Council meetings throughout the semester so we can be more accessible to the officers. I look forward to seeing you HCOs at your meetings throughout the semester! Finally, I’ve made Legislative Council meetings more engaging by instituting themes, having a larger budget for food, and including fun quizzes to give a little brain break from the meeting. For the goal of improving internal infrastructure, I’ve encouraged the Exec Board members to send out more calendar invites for events so information can be shared in more ways that work for different members of the organization. I also expanded our executive cabinet to integrate RAs and NRHH into RHA more and amended the constitution to include committees and give residents and officers a pathway to contribute to the campus-level of the organization more readily. I’ve had so much fun being able to take part in moving the organization closer to these goals, and hope to continue to Grow the organization as I Lead members in Uniting residents across campus next year. While I have served as Executive President, I started RHA as the Finance Officer of the Nelson Shell Community (now hall) Council. While serving as a Financial Officer, I gained a very good understanding of RHA policy that has been beneficial while supporting Hall Council officers. The most important thing that I’ve developed while on the hall council, however, was the ability to work as a team. Nelson Shell community council was made up of mostly new faces, and we had to quickly come to understand one another and define our expectations for one another. We then had to figure out what our own responsibilities were and figure out how we best worked together with one another. We finished the semester functioning as a well-oiled machine, I will make sure that the new executive board quickly breaks through the troubles that come with an unfamiliar team, and make sure the Executive Board runs like a well-oiled machine that can serve residents across campus. In addition to my leadership in RHA, I have also served in various leadership positions from Vice President of Operations of the ME Honor Society, President of the ME Honor Society, and Treasurer of the Wrestling Club @ Georgia Tech. All these positions have given me experience in keeping members engaged in the respective organizations through high quality programs and activity, while working with teams of other leaders to make sure that the organization is growing and catering to the needs of the members. Additionally, I have also acted as a bridge between overhead organizations and the members of my organizations, advocating for the members. These experiences have heavily helped prepare me for the work I have been doing over the past year and will continue to act as foundation for the planning and advocacy I do for residents. My oldest leadership position is Senior Patrol Leader of my scout troop in high school, where I successfully led the troop through the COVID-19 pandemic and gained my Eagle Scout Rank. Leading the troop entailed working directly with the patrol leaders to make sure that they were effectively running their patrols, as well as helping them out with any issues that arose. As Executive President, I directly with the Executive Board, making sure that everything is running smoothly in their positions and finding ways I can help. I also serve as a point of contact for Hall Council Officers and external organizations that need support or advice on something in the community. I have the know-how to reach out to people, and make sure that everything is going well. These experiences have helped build up my ability to reach out and communicate with others to make sure everything is going well.

Please discuss your interest in the specific position(s) you are applying for.

I am especially interested in the Executive President position because it is the position where I can have the greatest impact on residents. Being the direct line with the key administration means that I have a real impact on how the Department of Housing deals with residents. I will be able to elevate residents’ ideas to them and hear from them what direction the Department of Housing is heading. I want to be able to have a real impact on the Department of Housing, and there isn’t a better position to that end. I also want to be Executive President because they are arguably the most visible member of the Executive Board. This will give me the ability to connect with Hall Council officers and other residents more easily about what is happening in their community, whether that be something good or something that needs to change. This will give me the opportunity to help and make a change, if need be, or just encourage or support them. As president of the Residence Hall Association, I want to be able to support residents who need it, and make residents’ needs and ideas come to fruition.

What do you plan to bring to the position(s) and organization at large?

Beyond my prior experience, I am proud to bring my listening skills, thoroughness, and dedication to the organization. I am proud to bring the fact that I am a good listener to this position. Being able to not just hear, but to listen to other people will is a highly beneficial quality for Executive President because I am the person who has a direct line to some of the key administration in the Department of Housing. This allows me to bring what residents want from the Department of Housing up the chain accurately and convey important information from the Department down to residents. This gives me a good platform for serving as a representative, but that platform is enhanced by the fact that I am also good at talking. I can effectively communicate the needs of residents to the administration and incite changes that benefit all residents. I am also someone who is very thorough. When I work on any project, be that schoolwork or extracurricular, I make sure to put in my utmost to make sure the result is above standard. This can be seen through my academic achievements. I strive for this excellence as I serve as Executive President in all the interactions I have, meetings I run, and events I help plan. I will do my best to make sure that RHA is correctly representing what the residents want and need to the Department of Housing and the greater Georgia Tech community. I will also bring time to the organization. Because I will not dedicate too much time to other extracurricular activities, I will make sure that RHA benefits from that extra time I have. I will pour my time into the different events and initiatives that RHA has, as well as talking with residents to make sure that the organization can perform how it needs to, and more.

If you could improve any one thing about RHA—related to your position(s) of interest or not—what
would it be and why?

I want to improve the amount of community building that RHA does. RHA is an organization that puts on many different fun events, organizes initiatives, and has regular hall council meetings, but I still feel as though many residents don’t really understand what kind of communities they miss out on by not engaging with hall council and legislative council. I want more people to have positive experiences with Hall Council and RHA, so they find opportunities to get plugged into residential and campus wide community. I also want to build up the feeling of community between Hall Council officers and exec, providing more opportunities for them to connect, share ideas, collaborate, and voice concerns. If this was improved, I feel like there would be an increase in wellness in dorms and across campus, and residents would have a better residential experience, getting to know others in their dorms. I know from experience that being on hall council and exec has let me meet many different people that I would not have ever met if not for it.

If your answer to the previous question is something that can be fixed, how might that be done? If it’s
something that can’t be changed, what can we do to adjust?

One way that RHA could build better community is diversifying the types of events that we put on. RHA exec could put on more social events focused on dorm areas to build connections between HCOs living in areas. Another type of event could be through pop-up booths where residents can talk to a member of the Executive Board and grab some stuff. There could also be more Lunch and Learns and discussions with prominent figures on campus to give residents and HCOs a chance to bring suggestions to campus administration. Another way RHA could build community is through being even more responsive to the needs of residents. This would build a stronger sense of residents’ voices being heard and allow for stronger bonds to form around advocacy. One idea I have is to make an easily accessible form for residents where they can put general concerns that they are having about their housing situation, or otherwise. This would allow RHA to have a direct line of what the residents want and what they are concerned about so that I would be able to bring this up with the key administration in the Department of Housing. RHA could also host “town halls”, where residents can come and talk with the organizational leadership about their issues. Residents can also be encouraged to bring their worries or changes they want to see in the form of resolutions to Legislative Council through emails, at events, and at Hall Council Meetings. RHA could also build community by making it even more fun for participants. This could be done through improving things RHA already does, like community sessions at Legislative Council, events put on by the Executive Board, through further improving the trainings, or through more meaningful and interesting office hours.

Education: Mechanical Engineering Major

Leadership Track Status: Completed

State your motivation for joining the RHA Executive Board.

I wish to return to the Executive Board because I have seen and been able to contribute to the positive effect of events and initiatives that have been put forth as the current Director of Development. RHA’s events, HCO’s events, and even internal RHA social events give a chance for residents to come together, have fun, and alleviate the stress of school. I want to continue helping with planning and executing them. Additionally, I have seen the positive effect of the work I have been doing, by improving trainings and hosting worthwhile events for HCOs and want to contribute more to making RHA a fun and useful organization to be part of.

Please discuss any obligations (work, extracurricular, and otherwise) that you anticipate having external to RHA during the duration of your intended term and how you plan to balance/prioritize your commitments.

This upcoming year, I will most likely hold a student advisor position in the Wrestling Club on campus. This will be a major step back from this year where I served as Executive President and successfully completed my duties as Director of Development simultaneously. Though the wrestling club hosts 2-3 two-hour evening practices per week, I have managed to secure a wrestling practice time that does not conflict with most RHA meetings and events. When there has been a conflict, such as on the night of the Fall Festival, I have prioritized my RHA commitments. I intend to continue this into the following year, especially since I will be in a position with lesser responsibilities. The wrestling club has low commitment requirements for members and has a strong executive board who has and will cover for me and allows me to put my time into RHA should any time conflicts arise. In addition to the Wrestling Club, I will hold an executive board position in the Pi Tau Sigma honor society. This is a continuation from this year and a much less rigorous role than RHA, with a much smaller scope of responsibilities, so I will be able to put my all into my Executive Board role. I will also be in Tau Beta Pi honor society as a member, and it is another low commitment role.

Director of Development

Please discuss any relevant prior experience and how it has prepared you for the position(s) you are
applying for.

My most relevant experience to date is my current role as the Director of Development of RHA. This year, I have gained a lot of experience starting from the summer of 2024. Over the summer, I began building experience by building the Hall Council of the Year award criteria that is in use for this current Hall Council Year from scratch. I learned how to coordinate between different positions on the executive board, working to host a cook-out event over the summer and Week-of-Welcome events. During our regular year, I have worked to organize both the Hall Council Officer Fall Training and the Hall Council Officer Spring Training. Using feedback from Hall Council Officers, I was able to work to improve the Spring Training and create a better and more social experience. I also worked to host social events and lunch and learns, trying to find times and activities that can allow Hall Council Officers (HCOs) to learn, grow and have fun. Through my time as Director of Development, I have built skills that allow me to coordinate with the executive board. Working with our current executive board has shown me the importance of collaborating to make events enjoyable and diverse. I have learned the importance of being reachable as well as utilizing different communication methods to get the word about events out to Hall Council Officers. Getting to know HCOs and recognizing them for the work they do is just as important as providing opportunities for them. By being open and communicating effectively, I have been striving to bridge the gap between the executive board and HCOs. I have also learned how to host a successful social event and lunch and learn. This has allowed HCOs to bond and to develop as students and professionals. I feel that the important lessons I have learned in the role of the Director of Development help to prepare me for another term and would allow me to start strongly. Another relevant prior experience was my time as Meetings Coordinator of the Nelson-Shell Community (Hall) Council. In this role, I worked with my fellow Community (Hall) Council Officers to host weekly community council meetings, to plan events in the community, and to work closely with residents to hear about issues about our building and to pass bills that are transformative for the community. During my time in the role, I was also able to complete the Larry T. Brown Leadership track and win Meetings Coordinator of the Year and a Bronze Pin of Recognition. These responsibilities help prepare me for the role of Director of Development since I will be able to communicate effectively with the rest of the Executive Board on important matters. I have been able to use my experience writing meeting agendas to keep the discussion on track and meaningful. I have been able to use my ability to work in a team to effectively distribute work so that everyone in the Executive Board will feel like they are part of a team and something greater. I want to keep using these skills I have as a baseboard for growing and serving RHA. I have additional leadership experience from my time as Wrestling Club Executive President. Leading the wrestling club has taught me important lessons in communicating with campus resources, managing my time to make sure that things are moving forward and that I am making the most with the time I have, and taking the collective wishes of my club members into account and properly conveying those outwards. Communication with campus resources is important since they are integral to everything that happens. Though I have mainly communicated with the CRC, I have learned the etiquette needed when working with others and the important lesson to have enough time. Managing my time is extremely important when balancing all my responsibilities. My time as Wrestling Club Executive President has taught me the importance of keeping an accurate to-do list and following up with myself and others. These are things I implement frequently and find important to maintaining a proper running organization, regardless of the role. Arguably, the most important thing I have learned is advocating for my club members. As Director of Development, I will need to advocate for HCOs. Knowing how to collect their voices and how to present it most effectively is something crucial for this position that I have experience in. The final position that I have held that will prepare me for this role is the Senior Patrol Leader in my Scout Troop when I was in high school. Though it is a position I held when I was younger, I learned important lessons about communicating with advisors and event execution. As the Senior Patrol Leader, I did a lot of communicating with the adults in my troop to get a benchmark of where we were and where we needed to go. This was tantamount in my growth since I learned how to be prepared for these conversations and I learned how to set reasonable goals and expectations. I learned a lot about event execution as well. One of my responsibilities was to plan troop outings and itineraries. This helped me in coming up with fun yet fulfilling ways to spend time during events and then executing them. Many of the merit badge focused camping trips and events that I hosted functioned similarly to training sessions for younger scouts. Though it is not exactly equivalent, I will continue to use these skills of knowing what keeps people engaged to plan strong HCOFT and HCOST sessions.

Please discuss your interest in the specific position(s) you are applying for.

I am interested in being Director of Development because I want to continue to support the hall councils and to help them grow. As an HCO, I had a lot of fun. Being able to support HCOs as Director of Development has allowed me to help others to have an even better experience than I have. I would love to continue supporting the trainings and enjoy my interactions with officers. I enjoy hosting social events and lunch and learns and want to keep hosting events that are engaging for HCOs. Additionally, I would love to continue to approve the HCOFT and HCOST sessions to bring an engaging and riveting experience for our officers. I really wish to use the feedback from officers to keep growing and bettering the experience that they have all around.

What do you plan to bring to the position(s) and organization at large?

I plan to bring my work-ethic and my outgoing personality to the organization and positions. I have a very strong work ethic. I strive to get all my work done on time and to the highest quality. This shows through different facets of my life. In school, I am at the top of my class. As Director of Development, I have done this by more than doubling the amount of Lunch and Learns and Social events that were offered in the previous year. I have also found ways to make trainings more efficient and social based, managing to shrink the long training parts from a 6-hour session at HCOFT, to a 2-hour session at the HCOFT recap, to a 1-hour block at HCOST. I also cut the training time in half, moving from an 8-hour day to a 4-hour session. As meetings coordinator last year, I took my role to review bills and present them correctly and effectively at meetings very seriously. I made a point of knowing and reviewing policy in the policy book and following it and what I learned in training when dealing with bills and meetings. Despite this, many of the residents who went repeatedly to the Nelson-Shell community council attended because I was able to make it fun for them. I do not let my seriousness about policy get in the way of my interactions with residents and others. I even used tiny explanations of why I do things the way I do to bring humor to the meetings. I feel that my ability to be hardworking and my personality blend together in a way that would allow me to act uniquely. Another thing I plan to bring to the position is my ability to be flexible when the situation requires it. I find it important to plan meetings and events out fully, however, when last minute changes come around, I can act and pivot to make the most of the situation or to find a better alternative. This is something that I have been cultivating all the way back since high school. One example is when a Scout Camporee (a multi-troop skill competition) was canceled after we got to the camping site camping, and I designed an in-troop skill competition so we could still do almost everything we set out to do on that camping trip. I also have continued to be flexible here in school with my role as DOD, and The Wrestling Club as well. This struck unexpectedly when a resident approached me and the Hall Council officers of Nelson Shell, wanting to host a 64 person trivia event. Though it was not something I was accustomed to in my role, I happily worked with them to reserve the Cypress Theater, order food, and set up and take down for the event. The event was successful, and I was able to help without sacrificing my other duties. To the organization, I plan to bring my dedication to the role that I am in. I plan to do my upmost to keep RHA as a great organization and using my time management skills and my ability to plan accordingly, I plan on putting time to building the organization’s training resources and finding ways to effectively communicate information to HCOs.

If you could improve any one thing about RHA—related to your position(s) of interest or not—what
would it be and why?

If I could improve one thing about RHA, I would try to get the Executive Board more involved in attending hall councils across the campus. In my opinion, currently, the best way to interface with the members of the executive board is Legislative Council. While I think Legislative Council is great, I think it would be wonderful if members of the Executive Board could come to hall councils campuswide occasionally. I feel that it would not need to be a steadfast rule that says that they need to be at every council meeting, but maybe just 1 or 2 per semester to say hi and to help build a stronger relationship between the community councils and the executive board. This is something I have started to work on this year, but feel that could be improved greatly next year.

If your answer to the previous question is something that can be fixed, how might that be done? If it’s
something that can’t be changed, what can we do to adjust?

I feel that this is a problem that can’t be fully fixed but can be acted upon depending on the Executive Board’s Availability. The current Executive Board has shown interest in coming to meetings and has started to work towards attending more meetings; however, I have seen how tricky it can be to coordinate schedules. There is a living resource on the RHA website that gives the current meeting times and locations for community councils. Leveraging that and working with the executive president to create an initiative that helps Executive Board members coming to Hall Council Meetings could help to make this more of a reality. Unfortunately, though there are a lot of variables to overcome in this, some things that could be improved to help the executive board and individual community councils’ bond better could be a stronger emphasis on customizing bylaws and passing resolutions. The bylaws help to set the culture for a specific community council; however, I feel they can be overlooked since they hold a lot of similar information as the policy book. Utilizing these bylaws could help the Executive Board get a better feeling on the culture and the priorities of the members in the community council which could help to foster a better relationship during interactions at Legislative Council. Another thing is resolutions. Resolutions can be fun as well as serious. Something that RHA has considered in the past that I would like to bring back is hosting fun resolutions to help create a more interconnected feeling across RHA. Another thing that could be improved to help the executive board and individual community councils’ bond could be a stronger emphasis on hosting multi-community events, passing them through Legislative Council, and inviting the executive board. This way, the executive board would be able to see some of the amazing work that community councils are doing while also being able to interact with them on less of a ‘work’ basis. An example of this type of event is the Fall Physical Wellness Festival. This event, spearheaded by Hemphill Hall Council, was one such event. It managed to bring a similar amount of buzz as an event hosted by the executive board itself and helped the executive board get to know Hemphill Hall Council’s members. I believe that finding ways to encourage feedback from hall council officers would also bridge this gap. During my time as Director of Development, I feel that communicating only through teams puts limitations on HCOs and what they feel they can say and want to look for a way to help establish a 2-way street of conversation between HCOs and the executive board.

Education: Mechanical Engineering Major

Leadership Track Status: Has Not Started

State your motivation for joining the RHA Executive Board.

I have served as the DOF on the executive board for the past year which has been an incredible personal and professional experience. I value the personal relationships I made throughout my time, as well as the impact I was able to make on events throughout campus. From financially advising other officers to expressing opinions on decisions, I have loved my time on the board and hope for another great year!

Please discuss any obligations (work, extracurricular, and otherwise) that you anticipate having external to RHA during the duration of your intended term and how you plan to balance/prioritize your commitments.

On the Executive Board, we prioritize our health, family, and school above everything else. Immediately after that, however, we are expected to focus on RHA, including holding office hours, attending meetings and events, and taking care of any positional tasks which come up. Aside from these four commitments, the only other extracurricular obligation I have is to band. While it is a major time commitment, I have had a year of experience balancing the two activities. I do this through prioritizing which is more important to attend, ensuring proper communication throughout the process with the rest of the executive board. This semester, I am regrettably unable to attend most LCs due to an unavoidable class conflict. However, even in this scenario, I am making sure to account for my absence by continuing to communicate with the board and keeping them and the LC updated to ensure my role is not completely missed, which I will continue to do for all future conflicts that arise.

Director of Administration

Please discuss any relevant prior experience and how it has prepared you for the position(s) you are
applying for.

Over the past year, I have served as the Director of Finance on the Executive Board. In this position, I have become familiar with the internal processes and infrastructure of the RHA, including understanding RHA’s financial and procedural policy, navigating through files in SharePoint, working with PowerAutomate, and creating, editing, and distributing Excel files. Throughout my time as the DOF, I have also expressed my opinions to the Executive Board, voted in pertinent matters, advised the board and LC in financial matters, helped plan and run events, and more, providing me with a year’s worth of experience in a position directly adjacent to the Director of Administration. One of my specific focuses as the DOA will be governing amendments in the Constitution and Policy Book to help accomplishments as the DOF was proposing an amendment to the constitution which revised the existing “LC Delinquency Tax,” a convoluted and ineffective policy which penalized Hall Councils who failed to attend LC. My amendment (Policy Book, Title IV, Article IV) greatly simplified the process, stipulated communication before penalization, and allowed discretionary enforcement for a more effective financial policy. This process helped me understand what should go into a constitutional amendment, upholding the integrity of RHA, and prepared me for future amendments that I hope to propose outside the scope of financial policy. One of my key responsibilities as the Director of Finance has been to communicate effectively with the rest of the Executive Board, ensuring they acted with accurate financial information. Throughout last semester, I worked especially closely with the Director of Programming to allocate funds to each of the events she wanted to see, including increasing the budget through the LC. While I wouldn’t be communicating the same information as the DOA, my experience communicating information to the Board as a whole, as well as individuals within it, will assist me when handling requests and communicating changes to the Board and LC. Another responsibility of the DOF in the past has been to create and update Hall Council budget trackers at the beginning of each year. While I made some major updates to most of the trackers at the beginning of this year, I am looking forward to using Power Automate to improve and standardize them, lightening the load for future incoming DOFs. The main improvement I plan to make is to consolidate the bill and budget trackers, as they are somewhat redundant and have led to confusion regarding the procedure for bills. Additionally, I plan on creating a flow which tracks all funds spent across all Hall Councils to help the DOF understand the spending habits of Hall Councils. Although many of my immediate ideas for infrastructural improvements focus on the DOF and their tools, I will be prepared to assist any other Executive Board member with anything they request. Another project that I will focus on as the DOA will be working with the Academic Advisor of the Board to update the role of the DOF in the Executive Board. In the past, their main focus has been on processing EAFs. However, this year’s focus on P-Card purchases over EAFs, the DOF’s role has been sizably reduced. Due to my experience as a DOF, I will be in a unique position to work with our advisor to redefine the key focuses of the position going forward and ensure future DOFs meet the full potential of the role. Beyond the pertinent experience I gained as the DOF, I also have the technical skills to achieve what I am hoping to do. Last summer, alongside my duties as a DOF in summer residence, I had an engineering internship at a local firm. Though it was a civil engineering firm and I am a mechanical engineering major, most of the work I did was coding of some kind. In one task, I wrote an excel macro which automated the majority of one of the finance employee’s job. In another project, I used Power Automate to create a set of file and folder links which organized invoices by their stage of completion. In yet another project, I used python to combine files from two remote servers into the local system. I am a very fast learner, and as the language used to code the website is the only one I am unfamiliar with, I expect to be able to make updates in a timely manner to ensure quick turnaround of projects and requests. Overall, my tenure as the Director of Finance has laid the foundation for me to excel as the next Director of Administration. The practical and technical experience I have earned throughout the last year will allow me to smoothly transition into this role, hitting the ground running after turnover by implementing the changes I have wanted to see throughout my time as the DOF. The summer will provide me with a great opportunity to transform the financial infrastructure of the RHA, and leave me able to focus on teamwork and requests once the school year starts. There is so much I have planned, so I hope I get the opportunity to implement it as the next DOA!

Please discuss your interest in the specific position(s) you are applying for.

Throughout my time as the Director of Finance, I have used the existing infrastructure of the RHA extensively. However, over time, I have noticed inefficiencies, inconsistencies, and opportunities for improvement throughout. While I have made many updates to tools within my position’s capacity, such as the Executive and HCO budget trackers, I will have a much greater capacity to update tools as the Director of Administration with access to Power Automate. Aside from infrastructural improvements, I have a particular interest in writing and updating policy. As the DOF, I introduced an amendment which updated a financial policy. However, as the DOA, I would also have a greater capacity to propose amendments outside the scope of finances and make noticeable changes within the RHA.

What do you plan to bring to the position(s) and organization at large?

In assuming the role of Director of Administration, I hope to continue the services I have provided to the RHA Executive Board for the past year. As a returning member, I will carry over valuable insight and experience into a new Executive Board and help provide a seamless transition into a new administration. After a year on the Board, I am invested in the overall success and longevity of the RHA, and I hope to leave an indelible mark on the organization. I will continue to spend time and effort to achieve all of my personal and the Board’s organizational goals to the best of my ability. In addition to acting as an effective DOA, I also hope to simply be an outstanding Board member by promoting and running events, fostering relationships with Hall Council Officers, attending all meetings, staying up to date on office hours and deliverables, and all of the other small tasks I have picked up on in the last year. The RHA has become a major part of my life at Georgia Tech and I hope to remain an asset largely through maintaining my current practices, but also focusing on key improvements as I transition into a new role.

If you could improve any one thing about RHA—related to your position(s) of interest or not—what
would it be and why?

If I had to choose only one aspect of RHA, I would work to improve the flow of LC meetings to make them more efficient. I firmly believe that all LC business, from getting food to dismissal, should never take more than an hour. However, due to strictly following established procedure, it often runs far longer than it should – i.e. simply getting food taking nearly half an hour – and I find myself losing interest, even as an Executive Board member. I find it hard to engage in a meeting that feels inefficient, and when I was an HCO, I rarely attended LC because it felt so tedious. While LC attendance is necessary, I want it to be worthwhile to all attendees, and I hope to work with the next DOD to make progress in this area in the coming administration.

If your answer to the previous question is something that can be fixed, how might that be done? If it’s
something that can’t be changed, what can we do to adjust?

Throughout last semester, I recorded thoughts and inefficiencies I noticed in LCs. One of the main time losses I noticed was simply getting food, as preparing the food for serving wouldn’t even start until the LC started and most HCOs were already there, and serving the food would take over ten minutes meaning half the LC was already done eating before the other half even started. All in all, it led to LC business regularly being pushed back by over 20 minutes. I think this could all be improved by simply having the food already set up before the LC begins so that HCOs can self-serve as soon as they arrive. This would allow business to start almost immediately after the LC officially starts and save a significant amount of time. Another major time sink is in the strict adherence to parliamentary procedure. I have noticed that most bills are passed unanimously, yet explaining, questioning, and discussing the bill often takes between 5 and 15 minutes each. Currently, the only way to waive Robert’s Rules at an LC is in a clause-by-clause basis passed by ¾ of the LC, which is little known and never used. To simplify this, I plan to propose an amendment to the Constitution which allows the Executive President (or other presiding member of the LC) to simply announce that they are waiving Robert’s Rules for a certain bill and, barring dissent, will allow them to more informally move the bill along. This would allow the presiding member to speed up proceedings when they (reasonably) believe the bill will pass or fail unanimously or close to it, and hopefully keep LC members alert for bills or business which warrant a full discussion, all while ensuring the LC can override it easily if they don’t agree. Finally, though it isn’t nearly as time intensive as the other two, I always find role call to be dull as each Hall Council must manually be counted to determine their voting representation. I think this could be automated with a QR code which HCOs scan and enter their GTID and Hall Council. These would be used to determine the number of unique members of each Hall Council and record the LC’s attendance (as well as their voting representation to ensure quorum. Similarly, voting could also move online for a more modernized process. Hall Councils would still have their placards as well in case of technical difficulty and discussion, ensuring no harm is done by implementing electronic attendance and voting. These changes would allow for alternative methods of voting and effectively give the presiding member more power to run LCs smoothly, allowing them to balance formality and efficiency and ensure LCs feel more worthwhile. Even if I am not voted as the next DOA, I hope some of these changes will be implemented for future LCs.

Education: Civil Engineering Major | Architecture Minor | Global Engineering Leadership Minor

Leadership Track Status: Has Not Started

State your motivation for joining the RHA Executive Board.

I have always been passionate about hosting events and building community, which led me to create ‘The Trivia Show’ in my first semester at Tech. For its third annual run, I collaborated with the RHA LC to bring my vision to life. Throughout planning a highly successful show, I gained a deep appreciation for RHA and everyone involved. When I was then invited to be the NSL HC Meetings Coordinator and approached about applying for Executive Board, I immediately knew this was an opportunity to grow and make a lasting impact at Georgia Tech with a team of incredible people.

Please discuss any obligations (work, extracurricular, and otherwise) that you anticipate having external to RHA during the duration of your intended term and how you plan to balance/prioritize your commitments.

Beyond RHA, my three main commitments will be working as a Georgia Tech Tour Guide, serving as President of the Juggling Club, and acting as Vice President of Event Development for the Little Einsteins Organization. Throughout my time in college, I have balanced multiple roles by refining my time management skills and adopting a ‘get it done’ mentality, i.e. tackling tasks immediately when they are assigned. A more unique and tangible tool I use is my ‘super’ calendar, a custom 3×5 foot calendar with all 365 days on a single poster. It serves as a quick visual reference for my commitments, helping me see the bigger picture. This system allows me to stay on top of my commitments, ensuring that I allocate my time efficiently, and prioritize responsibilities without feeling too overwhelmed. Utilizing this tool and planning effectively, I am confident in my ability to manage my obligations while fully committing to RHA.

Director of Administration

Please discuss any relevant prior experience and how it has prepared you for the position(s) you are
applying for.

My campus involvement reflects a strong foundation in leadership, organization, and community engagement, all qualities necessary for the Director of Administration (DOA) position. Over various roles, I have personally grown and gained skills in managing logistics, maintaining records, and coordinating multiple large-scale operations, which align directly with the DOA responsibilities. In my role as the Meetings Coordinator for the Nelson-Shell Hall Council, I structure meetings, prepare agendas, and ensure smooth collaboration among the other officers. Most importantly I work towards providing an engaging and inclusive atmosphere for our meetings. Additionally, I encourage bill submissions, track documentation, maintain organized records, and facilitate communication with our residents by keeping them informed of upcoming events. These responsibilities are closely aligned with the DOA’s duties in managing RHA’s files, maintaining historical records, and keeping meeting minutes structured and accessible. As a Georgia Tech Tour Guide, I lead structured presentations clearly and effectively while adhering to timed schedules. This role has strengthened my ability to retain information, engage with diverse audiences, and manage logistics. In addition, my involvement with the Office of International Education (OIE) as a student ambassador has enhanced my ability to communicate effectively in a professional setting, as well as present and share information at recruitment events. These experiences have prepared me to handle policies, serve as an advisor to assigned ad hoc committees, and ensure effective communication within the organization and its members. Serving as President of the Juggling Club requires overseeing a group of 300+ members, coordinating multiple weekly meetings, teaching hundreds of students and faculty how to juggle every semester, and managing external partnerships for performances and outreach events. This responsibility not only builds my skills in scheduling and planning to ensure smooth operations, but, more importantly, develops my social skills as a leader and as a personable presenter and speaker. In my role as the Vice President of Event Development for the Little Einsteins Organization at Tech, I manage event planning, oversee volunteer coordination, and facilitate tracking over 400 volunteer hours per semester. These tasks require thorough documentation, system management through Engage and Slack, and strategic planning and advertisement with our Instagram. The skills needed for these tasks directly correlate to the skills needed to upkeep RHA’s digital and physical records, maintain IT systems, Engage, and SharePoint. One of the most notable experiences was my involvement with RHA’s Legislative and Hall Councils, where I collaborated with executive members and advisors to organize my large-scale event, The Trivia Show. I managed event logistics, worked directly with Tech’s dining services and event coordinators, familiarized myself with the Booqable system and the physical RHA office, and dealt with all the proper documentation of processes, budgeting, marketing, design, etc. This event required significant technical problem-solving skills, which are crucial for the DOA position. Among the countless issues I encountered working on The Trivia Show, I persevered and was able to devise a solution for each challenge. Thus, demonstrating key competencies for managing RHA’s IT infrastructure, planning, and digital platforms. By juggling (pun intended) all these different roles, I have developed proactive planning techniques and a variety of resources to keep schedules organized. With my experience in leadership, project management, and technical oversight, I am well-prepared and committed to serving in the DOA role and strive to contribute meaningfully to RHA’s mission.

Please discuss your interest in the specific position(s) you are applying for.

My interest in the Director of Administration role stems from my deep enthusiasm for RHA, and the alignment between the role’s responsibilities and my experiences. While planning The Trivia Show, I was fortunate to have collaborated with RHA leadership and managed the logistics with the RHA advisor, who later suggested I should investigate upcoming opportunities and potentially apply for a position within exec. Upon reviewing the various roles, the DOA position would be most applicable to my current involvements and competencies. As Meetings Coordinator for Nelson-Shell, I am already familiar with the structure of RHA and its operations within the community. Beyond just RHA, I track volunteer initiatives for Little Einsteins, organize spaces and equipment for Juggling Club, and facilitate the Engage platforms for both organizations. I actively participate in all these outreach activities along with being a Tech tour guide and student ambassador because of a love for the community and knowing my involvement is making a difference. I am eager to contribute to the RHA in the DOA role, and committed to utilizing my skills, bringing a positive attitude, and further serving our community.

What do you plan to bring to the position(s) and organization at large?

As Director of Administration, I will bring a structured and proactive approach to RHA, focusing on efficiency, organization, and engagement. My experience with campus leadership, event planning, and logistical coordination has contributed to my ability to manage records, maintain infrastructure, and build collaboration, all key aspects of the DOA role. One proposed plan for RHA is to implement a centralized, semester-long RHA calendar. Currently, there does not appear to be an accessible, up-to-date calendar that consolidates all of RHA’s meetings, events, and deadlines in one place. Ideally, if I search “Georgia Tech RHA calendar,” the first link should be a dynamic, regularly updated schedule containing everything from LC meetings to social events, making it easy for residents and RHA members to stay informed. As DOA, I will take full responsibility for maintaining this resource, updating it daily as needed, and ensuring that it serves as a reliable tool for the entire organization and the residents. I will maintain a clear structured organizational system within RHA. My experience with agendas, bill submissions, and officer collaboration can help create smooth Hall Council operations and a positive environment. Planning events such as The Trivia Show requires detailed coordination with RHA advisors, dining services, and event staff, which parallels the administrative oversight necessary for managing RHA’s files, IT infrastructure, and resources. Effective tracking systems developed in previous roles, such as managing Juggling Club’s inventory or organizing Little Einsteins’ volunteer records, can be utilized to improve how RHA stores and manages records, office supplies, and technology. This will create a well-maintained system for future members to build on. Beyond internal operations, I would like to make RHA’s resources more accessible and user-friendly. Whether it’s improving how we market or relay information, simplifying IT systems, or making the Engage more intuitive, my goal is to help members easily navigate and contribute to RHA. Creating welcoming environments is something I’ve prioritized in all my roles, like helping new Juggling Club members feel comfortable learning a new skill or inspiring elementary kids through Little Einsteins. I will bring the same mindset to RHA, ensuring our administrative tools support involvement rather than create barriers. Improving communication and transparency is another one of my top priorities. As a Tour Guide and OIE Ambassador, I am quite used to presenting complex information in an engaging and digestible way. I want to guarantee that members and residents clearly understand RHA policies, meeting outcomes, and event planning processes, making it easier to get involved and stay informed. The RHA website states, “Find A Problem? As the organization constantly evolves, some information may become outdated, and links may no longer work. If you spot any problems with the website, please contact the Director of Administration and it should be resolved shortly.” I will take this responsibility very seriously. I pride myself on being extremely timely with responses to emails, and most people who I have worked with will vouch for my ‘get it done’ mentality. I loathe seeing notification badges pile up, and I clear them as soon as possible to keep things running smoothly. That is not to say I just speed through the task at hand but rather prioritize my time management to make sure it is completed to the best of my ability as quickly as possible. This mindset directly correlates to how I will manage RHA’s website and IT systems. I will not let outdated links, missing information, or unresolved issues linger. If something needs fixing, I will handle it swiftly and ensure RHA’s online presence remains accurate and functional. Lastly, I plan to bring more than just enthusiasm to this role, I will bring a structured, forward-thinking approach focused on organization, accessibility, and engagement. By implementing a semester-long RHA calendar, maintaining timely and responsive IT support, and streamlining the internal systems, I will make RHA more available and efficient for both members and residents.

If you could improve any one thing about RHA—related to your position(s) of interest or not—what
would it be and why?

If I could improve one aspect of RHA, it would be to increase the accessibility and visibility of announcements and information. As someone who was very unfamiliar with many RHA processes before becoming involved, I have noticed that important information, such as meeting schedules, election processes, and event opportunities, was often hard to find. Even still, many of the updates I receive about RHA logistics are by word of mouth. For instance, when I first learned about the Legislative Council, it was only through inquiring about The Trivia Show. Similarly, I had no prior understanding or even knowledge on the executive roles within RHA. When I wanted to apply for a position, I struggled to find clear information on how to do so, thankfully I had the help of current members and the RHA advisor to guide me.

If your answer to the previous question is something that can be fixed, how might that be done? If it’s
something that can’t be changed, what can we do to adjust?

To enhance RHA’s visibility and communication, we need a more intentional approach to outreach and information sharing. Currently, many students are unaware of RHA’s meetings, events, or even its role on campus. When I shared my excitement about this role, I found myself having to explain what the role entails and why it is needed. I suggest incorporating in-person engagement, digital promotion, and further collaboration with existing networks to ensure that residents are informed and encouraged to get involved. One of the most effective ways to engage students is, in my opinion, through direct face-to-face interaction. As I table for Juggling Club at organizational fairs and events, RHA should also have a stronger presence at similar events. For being such a large organization on campus, our table should be memorable and engaging for students. Tabling at Ferst Center events, the Student Center, and residence halls would allow us to introduce RHA to students who may not be familiar with its purpose or opportunities. Additionally, we could incorporate more interactive elements, such as giveaways, games, or everybody’s favorite, free food, to encourage participation and increase visibility. These recruitment efforts should also be more intentional. For The Trivia Show, I hung posters, reached out to Hall Councils, contacted RA’s, and created an Instagram, @thetriviashow, to promote the event. While this approach was effective for my event, a more structured system with RHA might make recruitment and awareness significantly easier. Another key area for visibility is RHA’s presence on Engage. Little Einsteins regularly posts on Engage, and we see significantly better turnout because of it. It is also beneficial to continue highlighting free food events, as students actively seek those out. Maintaining clear, well-organized event listings should encourage greater attendance. In addition to Engage, RHA should also implement a semester-long calendar, an idea I would plan to implement as Director of Administration. Students should be able to quickly find an updated schedule of meetings, events, and deadlines. Having this resource available will allow people interested in getting involved to have an easy way to stay informed. An additional valuable resource is the connection to Tour Guides. As a Tour Guide, I recognize that we play a major role in shaping incoming students’ first impressions of campus. By incorporating information about RHA into Tour Guide training materials or mentioning it during our tours, we could introduce students to RHA even before they move in. If students arrive at Georgia Tech already informed about RHA, they are more likely to engage with it from the start.

Education: Mechanical Engineering Major

Leadership Track Status: Has Not Started

State your motivation for joining the RHA Executive Board.

I am motivated to join the RHA Executive Board because I desire to ensure the well-being and satisfaction of campus residents. I hope to collaborate with other Board members to advocate for residents, promote a community of belonging, and assure that the desires of residents are not only heard, but also fulfilled. Therefore, my goal is to demonstrate leadership and make the on-campus experience positively memorable.

Please discuss any obligations (work, extracurricular, and otherwise) that you anticipate having external to RHA during the duration of your intended term and how you plan to balance/prioritize your commitments.

The obligations external to RHA that I anticipate are serving as a GT 1000 Team Leader, being a member of 1-2 campus organizations, and serving as the Chief Product Officer of a startup company. I plan to balance these commitments by incorporating an extensive schedule and task calendar that ensure I am cognizant of the responsibilities and tasks I have due. Scheduling will allow me to plan accordingly and stay organized to avoid experiencing work overloads. Additionally, I hope to complete tasks at least 1-2 days before their official deadlines to account for any scheduling or commitment conflicts that may arise. Lastly, if I do ever experience troubles with managing these commitments, I will be transparent with the team by taking accountability for my duties and asking for help from others if needed.

Director of Communication

Please discuss any relevant prior experience and how it has prepared you for the position(s) you are
applying for.

In high school, I held leadership positions as president, secretary, and event coordinator across three clubs. Additionally, I volunteered as a Youth Leader for summer and fall break camps, collaborating with fellow counselors to guide campers during weekly cooking, cartooning, and coding lessons. I also motivated and supervised campers in team building, outdoor activities, tutoring sessions, and field trips. In the summer between high school and college I joined the team for a startup company called Seamlist, which is dedicated to guiding aspiring authors in their writing and publishing journey and designing an automated book marketing tool and software for independent authors. Through this experience I have gained tremendous insight, working in a three-person team to design experiments to refine our company focus, conduct customer and market research, and attend meetings with clients and prospective clients. Additionally, I have learned to build a strong connection within our team, especially during our coworking sessions and weekly meetings where we discuss highlights, issues that need to be addressed, and our tasks for the upcoming week. Other aspects that I admire about working in Seamlist is that we each hold each other accountable, give daily check-ins to ensure we are staying on target, and encourage each other. Due to my contributions to Seamlist, I now serve as the Chief Product Officer. Furthermore, I am a mentor through the Ron Brown Scholar GPS Connect Program and served as a GT1000 Team Leader in Fall 2024, supporting incoming first-year students and providing guidance and advice with career development, personal support, and college decision making. Additionally, last semester I became the Events Coordinator for Nelson Shell Apartments, working with my fellow officers to organize meetings and plan events. Serving as the Events Coordinator so far has been insightful because I desire to hear feedback from residents, therefore I created surveys to gauge what events residents would enjoy. Furthermore, working in this team has taught me that it is important to be willing to help other officers, accept help from them, and be accommodating and flexible in regard to varying schedules. Similarly, I am a member of the RHA Programming Committee and last year I contributed to generating ideas for the decorations used during the Thanksgiving event. Considering that I was given creative liberties, I truly enjoyed experiencing the efforts needed to plan and execute an RHA event. I also volunteered on the day of the Thanksgiving event and felt glad to be a part of seeing students come in, take a break from studying, and enjoy the event. Overall, my history of leadership has taught me the importance of being an effective communicator, learning from mistakes, being adaptable, collaborating with my peers, and remembering to have a positive attitude. Therefore, I plan on applying my experience to this position by being attentive to the needs and wants of residents, being approachable and inclusive towards everyone, having an open mind to change and different perspectives, and striving to perform my best as part of the RHA Executive Board.

Please discuss your interest in the specific position(s) you are applying for.

I am interested in the Director of Communication position because my primary goal is to increase the awareness of RHA within the resident community, so more residents are cognizant of the opportunities and benefits available to them. Therefore, I plan to provide clear and consistent outreach through newsletters, social media, and emails to ensure that RHA is promoted and advertised more effectively campus wide. Through these media outlets I hope to appeal to the resident audience and increase their engagement with RHA. Additionally, I am excited to foster connections with other organizations such as NRHH, NACURH and RAs and encourage partnerships that create a greater impact that could potentially extend past Tech. Lastly, I look forward to attending the conferences based on how the current Executive Board has spoken highly of the conferences and traditions such as the Roll Calls.

What do you plan to bring to the position(s) and organization at large?

I plan to bring open communication, transparency, and collaboration as the Director of Communication of RHA. With my prior experiences in leadership, I am positive that I can fulfill my responsibilities and promote the mission of RHA by serving as a voice for residents. I strive to promote open communication because I hope to broadcast events, news, and announcements effectively to assure that residents are aware and to mitigate any uncertainties or concerns residents may have. I will be focusing on communication through eye-catching visuals on social media and newsletter and engaging through emails. I will also seek to be approachable during Legislative Council meetings, office hours, and via email so that others such as residents, Hall Council officers, and RAs feel free to contact me. Likewise, I plan to serve as a contact between RHA and external organizations to ensure strong connections with other campus groups. This will require consistent two-way communication on my end; therefore, I seek to be open-minded and approachable. Additionally, I plan to bring transparency because I want residents, RAs, and Hall Directors to all be aware of the day-to-day operations within RHA and the Executive Board. Therefore, I desire to provide timely updates to keep everyone informed. Another aspect I would like to encourage is seeking constructive feedback from residents through surveys to gauge not only my performance, but also RHA’s performance and use such feedback for improvement. Furthermore, I plan to be highly collaborative not only with other Executive Board members, but also with residents, RAs, Hall Council officers, and Hall Directors. This is because I believe extensive and widespread collaboration will lead to greater campus outreach and foster meaningful connections between each group. Overall, my ultimate goal is to support and assist fellow RHA Executive Board members to ensure that our objectives are being met.

If you could improve any one thing about RHA—related to your position(s) of interest or not—what
would it be and why?

In my first year at Tech, I was unfamiliar with RHA, and I am confident others have felt or currently feel the same. Therefore, I would improve the awareness of RHA because I believe that many residents are unaware of RHA and all it has to offer. Even on a smaller scale, I have noticed during my time as a Hall Council officer that residents are not always familiar with aspects such as Hall Council meetings, bill submissions, and additional inner workings associated with RHA. Additionally, from my experience with helping to plan the Thanksgiving event with the Programming Committee I noticed that some of the attendees stated they were not even aware of the event prior but only happened to attend because of a friend in RHA telling them. Therefore, I believe work can be done to assure that more residents are better informed of RHA.

If your answer to the previous question is something that can be fixed, how might that be done? If it’s
something that can’t be changed, what can we do to adjust?

To address the awareness of RHA within the resident community, I believe more opportunities for direct engagement are necessary. Although serving as the Director of Communication comes with the benefit of managing social media and newsletters, I recognize that these communication methods are not always effective for reaching the majority audience. Therefore, hosting engagement events such as in-person panels, promotions, and giveaways would increase the likelihood that residents would become more mindful of RHA. Additionally, even hanging posters around campus would encourage residents to learn more about RHA. Lastly, one key asset that may be overlooked is that RHA is affiliated with Resident Assistants who have direct contact with the residents. Therefore, fostering stronger communication between RHA and RAs and encouraging RAs to speak to residents about RHA would bring us one step closer to expanding RHA’s reach on campus.

Education: Biomedical Engineering Major

Leadership Track Status: Has Not Started

State your motivation for joining the RHA Executive Board.

I have always enjoyed helping others and giving back to my community and, since I began serving Hemphill Hall Council as the Events Director, I’ve had many chances to do so. While planning for our Fall Health and Wellness Fair, I was able to connect with many campus organizations to set up meetings, coordinate supplies, and plan for tabling sessions. It was exciting to see the real-time difference I was making, both through setting up a fun and exciting campus-wide event, but also through forming connections for future events and gaining valuable insight to plan more valuable experiences for attendants.

Please discuss any obligations (work, extracurricular, and otherwise) that you anticipate having external to RHA during the duration of your intended term and how you plan to balance/prioritize your commitments.

During my intended term, I will be a third year student and will likely be balancing around 15 credit hours per semester, which will leave me with more-than-adequate time for extracurricular responsibilities. Besides classes, RHA will be my primary priority, and I will be consciously planning well in advance to set aside at least 18-20 hours per week, around 3 hours per day, to brainstorm, coordinate, and execute actions for my role. I will also be forming much of my schedule around legislative council meetings, office hours I will be holding, meetings with the rest of the executive board, and setting aside 2-hour blocks during my day in the case of any events happening during the school year. During my time on Hemphill Hall Council, I have been able to prioritize my commitment to serving my hall council first and foremost by coordinating regularly with other team members, planning events and meeting times in advance, and setting aside time to work on projects daily. I am confident that the application of this method of time management will help in maintaining my commitment to serve RHA as an executive officer.

Director of Communication

Please discuss any relevant prior experience and how it has prepared you for the position(s) you are
applying for.

During my high school years, I began working as a Public Relations manager for a local nonprofit, Gratus-Cubed. That was my introduction to community service work and taking initiative to create action and work to create the change that I want to see made. During my time in the position, I coordinated regularly with local homeless shelters, such as Bethany House, to plan and carry out donation events for food and supplies. The pandemic added an extra layer of difficulty to this, but I persisted and pushed myself beyond what I had experience with at the time, through social media campaigns, developing an email template for more professionalism, and brainstorming new strategies for coordinating donations despite social distancing. It was from this experience that I realized I had a passion for communication and marketing, and I continued to gain more experience through a variety of different opportunities: I held beach and park cleanups, conducted my own research study, in which I had to purchase, plan, and present all of the supplies and details of the study and its execution independently, and held an internship during my senior year of high school for Congresswoman Grace Meng where I conducted phone interviews to determine accessibility for elderly care centers in New York city. Coming into college, I knew I wanted to continue working in a position requiring communication. I have begun viewing it as a strength, though just a few years ago I would have described communication and public speaking to be my greatest weakness. I joined FASET as a FASET leader during the summer of my first year. I wasn’t able to participate in in-person FASET when I came to Tech, so I wanted to ensure that other in-coming students would still be able to join in on the fun, even if they were joining FASET virtually. I made it my goal to create a safe and welcoming environment for in-coming students where students could feel comfortable asking me questions, chatting, and showing their personalities and making new friends. I participated in almost 20 sessions of FASET, conducting a small group for each, and participated in our training retreat, where I learned more strategies and games to play with students during small group sessions to create a relaxed and fun experience. As I gained more experience in holding sessions, I began creating my own games for students to play, and engaging with students individually to ensure every student felt comfortable enough to ask me questions, if needed. I also helped serve as a direction guide to families and as a tour guide; since biomedical engineering, the major I’m in and often represented for tours, was so large, my time in sessions often taught me to project my voice and to gain the attention of many people at once. FASET was incredibly fun and rewarding for me, and one of the most important things I learned was to simply be direct. When I was helping students schedule for their upcoming classes, some of my advice that the students I helped appreciated the most were given to them very directly and respectfully. I learned that I could be kind but also be firm, such as when I had a few students confidently let me know their plans to take 20 credits during their first semester, including honors physics. I was able to compromise and let them know my opinions on their course load and my recommendations without making them feel scared or nervous, and was very clear about every add/drop policy this school had, which the students usually were not fully aware of. Once, after a day of FASET, while I was waiting for my shift to start for lifeguarding, I overheard a student next to me arguing with their parent about whether or not to ask me a question about their schedule, since they noticed I was still in my FASET uniform. While, in the past, I would probably be too nervous to directly approach them, I realized that, had I been in their position, I would likely be stressed and wondering if I could also ask the conveniently placed FASET leader next to me a question as well. I decided to directly approach them and offer my help, and together, we were able to find a resolution to the problem they were facing. Much of communication requires empathy and, at the beginning of this school year, I decided to investigate more deeply into that through taking LMC-3813-H, communication pedagogy. I wanted to know more about how we think and teach communication, and learn more about how I think of communication. My final presentation was on the pedagogical effects of standardized “critical thinking” lessons, and I researched into how we as a society approach critical thought, difference of opinions and approaches, and how there is no universal method to approach a work of media. Not only did this course teach me about how communication is taught, which directly links to how communication is shaped in different people and through different experiences, but I also learned just how vast our comprehension of media differs, and the multitude of interpretations that could exist for even one poster or advertisement. At the same time, I was serving Hemphill Hall Council as its Events Director, a position I still hold, which I joined due to my love and passion for event planning. To facilitate communication with our residents, we decided to host weekly events right after every weekly meeting. I create posters to advertise meetings, and through my experience with communications pedagogy, I was able to incorporate a lot of my new learnings into our meeting posters. Even graphical design elements such as the style of art used in the poster, fonts, and colors can be vital to catching the attention and interest of residents, and location placement is also very important. I also engage with residents, not only to create a fun environment, but also just to make new friends and enjoy the events for myself as well. We now have several regular attendants of events, and we’ve helped build a kind and warm environment for our hall. During our largest event held last semester, the Fall Health and Wellness Festival, my love and desire to continue working for RHA in communication was solidified. I was able to coordinate with over a dozen different on-campus facilities, organizations, and companies to plan and prepare for our event. Among these organizations, several were unable to attend, but still offered valuable insight and a desire to continue working with Hemphill on future events. It was immensely rewarding to be able to coordinate with so many amazing people who were all motivated and excited to host an event together, and the event ended up including many beloved campus institutions, including Chick-Fil-A, Parents with Pups, and the Mental Health and Wellness Empowerment Center.

Please discuss your interest in the specific position(s) you are applying for.

I have always loved to communicate and coordinate plans with others, whether for a small get-together with friends I haven’t seen in a while or to put together an event with hundreds of attendants. Much of the Director of Communication’s role is to stay present within the lives of Georgia Tech students, to coordinate with organizations who want to partner with us and to let students know our purpose in helping their life at college. I enjoy the role of communications, whether it’s to create posters, newsletters, social media posts, or simply to email and schedule meetings with campus partners, and I would be very excited to implement many new ideas I have for the role. RHA could be a vital resource for many students, from hosting small, residence hall meetings to larger, campus-wide festivals, and I want to bring greater accessibility of RHA to the students at this school.

What do you plan to bring to the position(s) and organization at large?

Communication involves understanding an audience and working with their interests. As the events director for Madhatter Knits, which I’ve begun serving at the same time as my time in RHA, I’ve also gained many valuable experiences. From talking to members and attendants of our events, I noticed that many students at this school want to learn crochet and knitting, but don’t want to only be limited to creating hats, which is customary for our club. In response, I began planning for more events that can benefit our community but also allow members to create simple crochet and knitted items, thus allowing all participants to learn and have fun while also not being limited to only hats. I ended up brainstorming many events, such as our “market” events, in which we sell products that members have created, thus allowing members to create anything they would like, and donate the profits, which allows us to effectively help local health organizations obtain supplies and continue their operations. I also created the plan to create handmade items for the families of babies in NICU, thus joining together our goals of helping babies in NICU and mothers, and offering support to mothers in our community who are going through a difficult and fearful process. I have also personally begun teaching members how to crochet and knit at events, which has been hugely popular as well, and leans into our strengths of being an already established crafting club and community. As events director of Hemphill Hall Council, I’ve become accustomed to gathering information on current interests and activities passively. When I walk through a grocery market and see eye-catching and heavily advertised snacks, I make a note to possibly include it as an item in our next event. When I see a new trend or craft online, I save it and search up supplies for the activity and brainstorm ways to include it into an upcoming event. Marketing an event to residents should also work in their favor: communication involves compromise, and any event or resource that we as RHA want residents to attend should also include items and activities that they would most want to see. Oftentimes, residents also don’t want to spend the extra money for popular items themselves, which makes an event valuable to residents as it not only offers the experience of having fun with friends, but also provides an experience they usually would or could not pay for themselves. When brainstorming for new ways to reach the rest of campus, I put a lot of thought into what students at Georgia Tech would like from their campus resources. I am excited to approach the Director of Communications role with more ideas: social media campaigning is very important to daily communication and could be greatly expanded upon for RHA. For example, there could be more frequent posts on the RHA account for behind-the-scenes on event setup, multiple posts per major event, such as the Halloween Festival, and some lighthearted participation in school-appropriate trends. RHA members on both executive and hall council levels could also be more strongly encouraged to repost all RHA posts, such as through points or prizes. Many of the more-liked posts on the RHA page are those with large collaborations and participants, such as the recent drag show, or the recent giveaway, which is a good area of interest to expand upon further for future marketing ideas as well, such as through more emphasis on giveaways or events that involve free items and by inviting other campus social media accounts to collaborate on posts. Furthermore, graphic design and color cohesion could also be used to make posts by RHA more eye-catching and recognizable. A helpful method to organize contacts when I was planning and coordinating the Fall Health and Wellness festival was to create a “points of contact” reference list. This was helpful in communicating to the rest of the team who to contact and email for various supplies and who we are in contact with for activities, as well as for future reference. For example, since the event was held at Burger Bowl, area reservation did not operate in the same way as Tech Green, and I had to schedule a separate meeting with the CRC. For future reference, those points of contact and the protocol are saved and could be revisited. This may be beneficial to keep track of and consistently keep in touch with campus partners on the executive scale, and could be useful in the event that a hall council or anyone on the executive board needs a resource but doesn’t know who to ask. A good example of this was that, due to the timing of the festival, I was unable to obtain tables and chairs due to commencement ceremonies, and I had to visit a separate campus conference center. This note of communication and resources is useful for the future, in case someone next year on Hemphill’s council wants to throw an event during the same time and isn’t sure where to find them.

If you could improve any one thing about RHA—related to your position(s) of interest or not—what
would it be and why?

A large difficulty of hosting events is how to communicate them to a student population. I think one of the largest issues, not only with RHA but with Georgia Tech as a whole, is the decentralization of communication and advertising for events and resources. I believe it is an impediment in students of Georgia Tech taking full advantage of the amazing opportunities, most of which free, this campus offers. I often hear comments from students when they cannot attend events, from RHA or otherwise, on campus, and oftentimes it relates to not knowing the event is going on rather than having a time conflict or not being interested. This not only limits the amount of students who can benefit from RHA events, but also limits the amount of collaborations or collaborative efforts RHA is able to do with the rest of campus. This is challenging to navigate, especially with the large size of the student body, but could be improved through more closely monitored communication techniques.

If your answer to the previous question is something that can be fixed, how might that be done? If it’s
something that can’t be changed, what can we do to adjust?

A large part of the issues I want to address as Director of Communication are very tied with more carefully interacting with the rest of campus: communication protocols for both executive board and hall councils can be put in place, such as a recommended amount of meetings per semester or examples of advertising tactics that could be utilized to help students be in touch with RHA. As the executive board, points could also be awarded for encouraging residents to follow the RHA account or for hall council officers reposting content by the RHA account. The email of the Director of Communication can also be more widely given so that campus partners or anyone with questions could always reach the first point of contact. In partnership with each individual hall council, a monthly newsletter template could be sent out to every hall council for residents to not only keep track of what the executive board has planned, but also the meetings and events of their own hall council. Using a template would allow for stylistic cohesion and will allow editors to quickly change every aspect of the newsletter to quickly keep up-to-date with every month. A calendar of upcoming events, both for each unique hall council and also for general RHA events, could also be provided on this newsletter and, during tabling events in-person, this calendar, but edited to only contain general RHA events, could be printed and handed to students as flyers. After every general RHA event, there could be a followup post online on Instagram to show people what was accomplished and what activities were offered at the event. This could be especially helpful for smaller events, such as Lunch&Learns, in which students may want some photos of every event to properly envision how the events are organized. Furthermore, hall council of the year points could also be posted monthly to highlight the leading hall council of each month. This could not only promote activity and incentive within residents of a hall council to actively participate in their hall council, but hall councils that are posted can share photos from their events and meetings to inspire others, reflect on their successes, and share ideas of what worked for them. This also promotes a friendly competition, which can further promote community within each hall council and between hall councils. Tabling is also a great way to interact face-to-face with campus. RHA could attend club fairs, table on Tech Green, pass out merch, flyers, or other goodies, or set up a quick game booth for people, such as a wheel spin game, a ring toss, or offering a prize for people who want to try beating someone at rock, paper, scissors. Tabling can also provide a “sneak peak” for events, such as the Halloween Festival or Wellness Days. For example, a week before the Halloween festival, we could set up tables on Tech Green and pass out Halloween-themed cookies, or set up a quick Halloween game. For regularly occurring events, such as Wellness Days, we could pass out tea bags, small pastries, or stress balls. It would also help clarify to students that all residents are welcome to attend RHA events and get involved with RHA.