Category: Governance

Primary Position: Executive President

Secondary Position: Director of Development

Education: 2nd Year Mechanical Engineering Major

Leadership Track Status: Has Not Started

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

My most relevant experience to date is my status as Meetings Coordinator of the Nelson-Shell Community Council. In this role, I have worked with my fellow Community Council Officers to host weekly community council meetings, plan events in the community, and to work closely with residents to hear issues about our building and to pass bills that are transformative for the community. The responsibilities will prepare me will for the role of executive president since I will be able to communicate effectively with the rest of the Executive Board on important matters. I will be able to use my experience writing meeting agendas to keep the discussion on track and meaningful. I will be 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. Though the responsibilities of the Executive President are much more expansive than the Meetings Coordinator, I will be able to use the 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 Executive President, I will need to advocate for all residents in he school. 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, event execution and how to lead. 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. One of the most important lessons I learned was how to lead. I learned that being authoritarian never worked and that working along side others and not putting myself as a leader above any of my other scouts inspired them and fostered greater relationships between us. As the Executive president, I would want to be an approachable leader who works along side the rest of the executive board to build 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 Executive President, I will need to advocate for all residents in the school. 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, event execution and how to lead. 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. This would help me as Director of Development to come
up with strong itineraries for trainings that cater to all. One of the most important lessons I learned was how to lead. I learned that being authoritarian never worked and that working alongside others and not putting myself as a leader above any of my other scouts inspired them and fostered greater
relationships between us. As the Executive president, I would want to be an approachable leader who works alongside the rest of the executive board to build RHA.

State your motivation for joining the RHA Executive Board. 

I wish to join the Executive Board because I have seen the positive effect of events and initiatives that have been put forth. RHA’s events (Fall Festival, Dogapalooza, etc.) give a chance for residents to come together, have fun, and alleviate the stress of school. Having volunteered at these events, I want
to help in executing them. Additionally, RHA initiatives such as free laundry have boosted residents’ quality of life, and I want to try to work and bring about more good changes.

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

I am interested in the position of Executive President because I was inspired by the work that the current Executive President is doing. I want to build important and lasting programs around the campus for resident such as the menstrual product program. I also want to be Executive President because I also want to play an important role in supporting my fellow executive board members. I want to be a president that my fellow board members can rely on and that will be able to communicate easily with. I want to be Executive President because it would place me in a role to hear students and work to directly bring change and relief to concerns. I have experience speaking with people who are working with developing campus resources through my time in the Emerging Leader’s Advisory Board. I have come to realize that there are many student desires on campus that just need to be given a voice.

What 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 in the top of my class. As meetings coordinator, I
take my role to review bills and present them correctly and effectively at meetings very seriously. I make 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 have come
repeatedly to the Nelson-Shell community council have come because I am 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 use 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 Community Council Events and The Wrestling Club as well. 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 and helping to be an effective voice for residents campuswide.

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 community councils across the campus. In my opinion, currently, the best way to interface with the members of the executive board is Legislative Council. While love Legislative Council, I think it would be wonderful if members of the Executive Board could come to community 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 help build that relationship between the community councils and the executive board.

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; however, it becomes trickier once the meetings are taking place across campus. There is a living resource on the RHA website that gives the current meeting times and locations for community councils. Leveraging that and creating a plan to possibly divide up community councils across the members and where they are going 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 is currently trying to do that I would like to continue and push forth are hosting fun resolutions to help create a more interconnected feeling across RHA.

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 an executive board position in the Wrestling Club on campus. This will be a continuation from this semester where I am Executive President. This entails attending 2-3 two-hour evening practices per week. My plan is to secure a wrestling practice time that does not conflict with my RHA meeting duties. If there is a conflict with the time of LC, I will prioritize RHA meetings and duties. The wrestling club, as of right now, has low commitment for members and has a strong executive board who has and will cover for me and allow for me to put my time into RHA should this time conflict arise. In addition to the Wrestling Club, I will hold an executive board position in Pi Tau Sigma honor society. This is 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 will not take up much of my time.

Primary Position: Executive President

Secondary Position: Director of Finance

Education: 2nd Year Mechanical Engineering

Leadership Track Status: Has Not Started

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

Being in RHA as the Finance Officer of the Nelson Shell community council has prepared me the best for being on the RHA Executive Board. Before this academic year, I had no idea what RHA was, and I had only roughly heard of area councils. Now, I am fully confident in my understanding of RHA as an organization that seeks to Grow residents, let people Lead, and Unite the campus. I have seen firsthand the events and programs that RHA and the Executive Board put on to meet this goal, and I will bring my passion to continue this to the Executive Board. While serving as a Financial Officer, I have gained a very good understanding of RHA policy that will be beneficial while supporting new and returning Community Council officers. Furthermore, I have been able to take part in RHA through legislative council and have gained a greater understanding of what is important for the campus community. The most important thing that I’ve developed while in RHA, however, is 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 now function as a well-oiled machine when it comes to planning and execution, but it was a process to get here. I will bring this experience with me to the RHA Executive Board next year. It is uncertain whether there will be familiar faces or not on the board, but I will make sure we quickly break through the troubles that come with an unfamiliar team, and make sure the Executive Board runs like a well-oiled machine that can focus on the residents. Before RHA, however, I started my leadership journey in high school as Senior Patrol Leader for my scouting troop. I got the position in December of 2019, and had to lead my troop through the COVID-19 pandemic, navigating the transition to virtual, then to hybrid, then back to in-person. It was a highly developmental experience for me because I had to not only keep the scouts engaged and invested in the troop through this transition, but also had to act as a bridge between the youth and the adults in the troop. I had to understand what the youth wanted in the program, as well as communicating to the Patrol Leaders what direction the adults saw the program going in. This experience will directly help me in the Executive President’s role, as I will be acting as a bridge between the residents and the Department of Housing. I will need to be able to understand and communicate what residents want to the key administrators, while also communicating the Department of Housing’s view to the residents. I will also be able to use my experience as Senior Patrol Leader when working with both the Executive Board and community councils. As Senior Patrol Leader, I had to work directly with the patrol leaders in making sure that they were effectively running their patrols, as well as helping them out with any issues that arose. As Executive President, I will be working directly with the Executive Board, doing 1-1’s with them to make sure that everything is running smoothly in their positions and that they don’t need help with them. I will additionally be a direct contact for any Community Councils 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 alright. My experience as Vice President of Operations of Pi Tau Sigma will also help me with this as well. I currently oversee two other positions to make sure that they are putting on events and that they are going well. These experiences have helped build up my ability to reach out and communicate with others to make sure everything is going well. Being Senior Patrol Leader has also helped me plan and run executive meetings. I was always responsible for running the monthly planning meetings within the troops, bringing an agenda, and making sure that every Patrol Leader was ready to give updates and on their positions. As Executive President, I will oversee running all the executive meetings, making sure that necessary information is conveyed and that all members of the Executive Board are updated. This will also come in handy while running Legislative Council meetings, where I will be able to effectively run through the meetings. In addition to these administrative experiences, I am also confident in my ability to manage large events. I have experience through events like my Eagle Scout project and helping run my high school’s annual wrestling tournament. This will help prepare me to support the Director of Programming and the Director of Development with any events they need help with. My experience as financial coordinator and auditor will help me assist the Director of Finance with any policy they need help on. Overall, my experiences with RHA, scouting, and Pi Tau Sigma have helped prepare me for working with a new team on the executive board while rising to the responsibilities of Executive President.

State your motivation for joining the RHA Executive Board. 

During this past semester, I’ve realized how fun and fulfilling it is to serve on community council and be both a source of support and a representative for them. I now want to take this service to the next level by serving on the RHA Executive Board. After interacting with the Executive Board of this year, I am excited at the opportunity to be able to serve a much greater scope of residents through the Executive Board, and I am looking forward to the fun that comes with interacting with residents, community council officers, and the greater Georgia Tech community.

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 one of the more visible members of the Executive Board. This will give me the ability to connect with Community 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.

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

One quality that I have that I am proud to bring to this position is the fact that I am a good listener. Being able to listen to other people will be a highly beneficial quality for Executive President because I am the person who will have a direct line to some of the key administration in the Department of Housing. If I was not good at listening, I wouldn’t be able to correctly hear what residents want from the Department of Housing and be able to communicate that well. Additionally, I wouldn’t be able to do a good job of communicating what the Department of Housing’s response was if I didn’t listen well. I would just hear what I wanted to, and ultimately fail at being a good representative. Despite being good at listening, I am also good at talking. I feel as though this skill will be vital in the role of Executive president because I need to be able to communicate what the residents want. I also need to be able to talk with the residents to understand their needs. If I couldn’t talk, then listening would ultimately be wasted as a representative. 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. I will strive for this excellence in 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 don’t plan to 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 going on, 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 honestly feel that one of RHA’s downfalls is its current lack of visibility. I know RHA has become more visible from the time that I first came to Georgia Tech, and I want to continue to make it even more visible to the residents. RHA is an organization that puts on many different fun events, organizes initiatives, and has regular community council meetings, but I still feel as though many residents don’t really understand what kind of an opportunity it presents through community councils and legislative council. I want more people to come to understand what this organization is that builds community, so that they will get involved by going to community council, legislative council, or the events. If this was improved, I feel like there would be a much better sense of community within dorms, and residents would have a better experience, getting to know others in their dorms. I know from experience that being on community council 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 become more visible is through using different methods of communication to reach the residents. One such way could be through the usage of more emails to spread information about events, legislative, or just what RHA and Community Council is. Another way could be through pop-up booths where residents can talk to a member of the Executive Board and grab some stuff. Another way RHA could be more visible is through being even more responsive to the needs of residents. 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. I also want to encourage more residents to bring their worries or changes they want to see in the form of resolutions to Legislative Council. They could be encouraged to do this through emails, at events, and through their local community councils. RHA could also become more visible to the community by making it 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 better balancing fun and business at CCOFT and CCOST, or through interesting office hours. This could also be done by new things, like fun resolutions to lighten the mood at Legislative Council and create discussion, or unique food ideas at Legislative Council. All in all, through increasing RHA’s visibility to residents, many residents can have fun experiences where they build a sense of community and make friends.

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, I plan to be the Treasurer for the Wrestling Club @ Georgia Tech and be on the Executive Board for the Pi Tau Sigma Mechanical Engineering Honor Society. Being the Treasurer of the Wrestling Club, I attend 1-3 practices every week and deal with the processing of any finances for the club. This takes a maximum of 5 hours a week but can take less when I attend less practices. Being on the Executive Board of Pi Tau Sigma is relatively low commitment and only takes up 2 hours per week. When on the RHA Executive Board, RHA will be my top priority. Both other commitments are flexible with attendance and commitment level, so I am able and willing to lower my commitment to those and pour all the time I possibly can into my responsibilities for RHA. Additionally, I will make sure to communicate with my fellow Executive Board members about my schedule, so that I can be transparent about any conflicts that might come up, and deal with them accordingly. I will make sure to put RHA and residents first, and then my other commitments will come second.

Primary Position: Executive President

Secondary Position: None

Education: 1st Year Electrical Engineering

Leadership Track Status: Has Not Started

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

This past year I have been the meetings coordinator for the Eighth Street Community Council. This role has introduced me to the workings and impact of RHA and given me experience in connecting with residents, running meetings and organizing a team. Currently, my Community Council has met quorum every meeting and the meetings are conscious of resident’s time. Outside of RHA, working at the Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology has helped me grow my communication skills, ability to work through obstacles and be a reliable employee. These skills will help me on the RHA Executive Board to work well with the other board members and be an impactful, effective leader.

State your motivation for joining the RHA Executive Board. 

This past year I have been meetings coordinator for the Eighth Street Community Council and have loved getting to know other residents, organizing meetings and being involved in my west campus community. I want to be a member of the RHA Executive Board because of its position to make an impact on the entire campus. I have found so much fulfillment from Community Council by being able to pass bills and host events that engage residents and improve their living experience. On the executive board, I hope to be able to apply my enthusiasm for building community and make change on a larger scale.

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

I would love to serve as the Executive President because I believe that I can positively impact the experience residents have while living on campus. I believe that I can run effective meetings and organize the executive board to function for the benefit of the residents. As president, I would bring enthusiasm to RHA and listen to the residents for how RHA can best help them.

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

I am very enthusiastic, organized, and passionate which will help me be the best president and executive board member I can be. I plan to bring positivity and my best thinking to the table to make positive change in the community. I hope to bring people together through engaging and exciting community events.

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 would want to improve the communication between community councils and executive board. As a meetings coordinator, I felt that the RHA exec board could have done more to reach out and support community councils to make sure they are doing well throughout the year. This would have helped many community councils to be able to be their best and involve their community.

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 think that the RHA exec board can reach out to community councils throughout the year. Having attendance from RHA exec board members was helpful in my experience, and I think it would also be helpful for others if they did not have that support in-person.

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. 

In addition to RHA, I am currently a part of the women’s lacrosse club team and work at the Institution for Electronics and Nanotechnology on campus. I plan to continue to work at IEN and am unsure if I will continue club lacrosse. I have been able to balance my schedule well and I am an organized person, which I attribute to my planner. Last semester, I was involved in these activities and was able to work out an effective system to stay healthy and organized. If I am elected to the board, I am willing to prioritize it over lacrosse and other smaller clubs I’m involved in.

Primary Position: Director of Development

Secondary Position: None

Education: 1st Year Neuroscience Major

Leadership Track Status: Has Not Started

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

With my extensive leadership experiences throughout high school and current roles within the Vietnamese Student Association and Asian American Student association, I believe I am prepared with the skills and qualities necessary for the Director of Development position. In high school, I served as the co-founder and president of Hearts & Crafts, where we sewed stuffed animals and crafted jewelry to donate to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. As a president, I often had to guide other executive members while also managing the overall coordination of events in this newborn club. These experiences helped me develop strong leadership and management skills. In addition, we often facilitated collaborative events with other student organizations, such as the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) and National Honor Society (NHS). During our collaborative executive meeting with HOSA to plan out fundraising sales, I made sure to listen to differing opinions while also emphasizing our common goal to promote healthcare. Through these experiences, I learned how to effectively collaborate and work toward common goals. Furthermore, as the Secretary with a logistic focus in the BETA club, I was responsible for logistical aspects of the club, such as brainstorming events ideas and managing up budgets and resources. These experiences helped me develop organizational and management skills. Additionally, serving as the Ambassador for the Korean American Student Association, I gained valuable experience in promoting cultural awareness and connecting with other students with similar backgrounds within the school community. Currently, I continue to apply and develop my leadership skills by building a vibrant community in college settings. In the Fundraising Committee of the Vietnamese Student Association, I am responsible for communicating with external organizations and facilitating overall logistics of monthly fundraising events. Being a part of this group has further enhanced my ability to work in teams and improve organization events. I also had more opportunities to actively get involved in the student body and create a welcoming environment for students in contributing to a good cause. Similarly, in the Asian American Student Association as a Junior Outreach Chair, I further develop my collaboration and management skills, as this position requires me to communicate with external organizations and ensure smooth coordination events such as catering food. In addition to leadership roles, I was able to develop teamwork and collaboration skills through participating in the Vietnamese Student Association’s modern dance team. Actively participating in numerous practices and performances, I learned how to effectively cooperate as a group to achieve success. I also learned how to balance the extracurriculars with academics and manage my time wisely, as individual practice in addition to weekly group rehearsals required a significant amount of time and energy. Additionally, being a part of the ACE family in VSA provided me with further opportunities to connect with like-minded individuals and build a strong community. In the ACE family, I learned the importance of sharing experiences and creating intimate relationships with others from similar backgrounds. These experiences reinforced the importance of building a welcoming and vibrant community where everyone feels included and supported. Through the role of the RHA Director of Development, my experience in collaboration from past leadership positions will be applied. Some examples may be holding bonding events with Area Councils and contacting external partners to plan out events such as End of Year Banquets. Connecting with my experience as a president of Hearts&Crafts, I can guide and teach other board members to achieve our aspired goals collectively. Furthermore, I will use the organizational skills which I acquired by being a Secretary for BETA club to coordinate events and manage initiatives for RHA to ensure that all events are run smoothly and successfully and provide a positive experience for all students in the residence hall. Moreover, my ability to work effectively in groups and build a strong community gained from experiences in modern dance and the ACE family will be invaluable in my role within RHA. From planning the end-of-the-year banquet to training executive members, I am confident that all my experiences and skills will allow me to actively participate in RHA’s development as well as create a GT residence community in which every student feels welcomed.

State your motivation for joining the RHA Executive Board. 

Having been active in many student organizations throughout high school and freshman year in college, I realized the importance of engagement and community building and wanted to take a greater part in creating an inclusive and intimate community through other opportunities. Earlier this semester, I was introduced to the RHA’s Bill system open to any residents. Although my bill for a movie night at Atlantic Station was rejected at the community council meeting due to financial conflicts, this experience introduced me to RHA’s strong commitment for creating a welcoming space for everyone, inspiring me to join and contribute to this work.

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

I am interested in the Director of Development position within RHA because it presents an opportunity in which I can showcase my passion for building community using the skills I developed. I am very excited to collaborate with others such as through bonding events between Area Councils and the Executive Board. In these events, members from different branches would be able to connect and share ideas as a group to work toward a common goal. This perfectly matches my aspiration for collaboration and building communities where everyone’s idea can be supported. Facilitating these interactions will strengthen the bond within the group and also reinforces RHA’s fundamental idea of using effective collaboration to build a vibrant and supportive community that fosters growth and inclusivity. In addition, planning the End of Year Banquet will offer me a unique opportunity to celebrate the achievements of RHA board members. I believe coordinating such events will not only help me develop my management skills but also allow me to motivate each members’ continued engagement within the organization.

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

Throughout my leadership experiences, I have always been passionate about creating a community where every member feels empowered and supported. I will employ a strategic approach to organizational and positional training for the success and progress of individual board members in RHA. Throughout my involvement in various leadership roles, especially serving as a co-founder and president of Hearts&Crafts, I have developed my ability to give comprehensive training to the board members. This experience provided me with crucial insights into building effective leadership that could be applied to people with different past experiences and learning styles. I intend to develop a framework for training activities that will equip members with the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in their roles. I am dedicated to creating an environment that fosters continuous learning and development and where leaders will be empowered to make meaningful contributions that go beyond the organization. Furthermore, I am determined to organize a memorable End of Year Banquet that celebrates the outstanding achievements of the board members shown throughout the semester. Through my involvement in various extracurricular activities, such as the Fundraising Committee in the Vietnamese Student Association and the Asian American Student Association, I have been able to gain hands-on experience in event planning and execution utilizing my creativity and attention to detail. I am dedicated to arranging a banquet experience that will celebrate the achievements and also fosters a sense of RHA community at large. Moreover, my past leadership experiences have given me in-depth understanding of the importance of collaboration and inclusivity. Throughout my experiences in groups like HOSA and Hearts&crafts, I cultivated efficient bonding networks within the executive board and collaborated with other organizations to accomplish common goals. Similarly, as a member of the Asian American Student Association’s Junior Outreach Chair, I have been working collaboratively with external organizations to coordinate events and initiatives. Drawing from these experiences, I am determined to promote a culture of collaboration and inclusivity within RHA, where each member’s voice is valued. Through my dedication and collaborativeness, I am confident that I will be able to make a meaningful impact within RHA as a Director of Development, empowering executive members to develop their leadership skills and fostering a vibrant and inclusive community for all.

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 there is one thing I could improve within RHA, my primary focus would be communication and engagement between RHA and residents. I believe that it is challenging for residents to stay informed about the various opportunities RHA offers to them, such as submitting bills or participating in community council meetings. By advocating these events more effectively, RHA can create an environment where more students can actively contribute ideas and participate in initiatives that shape their living environment. In addition, more actively gathering feedback from residents would allow RHA to ensure that the events and activities align with students’ interests. This would not only increase the community engagement but also enhance residents’ satisfaction with the GT residence hall. Moreover, programs could be diversified by incorporating cultural celebrations and wellness activities so that RHA can provide a more inclusive and holistic experience to the residents.

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? 

RHA would be able to achieve greater communication and engagement by utilizing a multichannel approach to reach more residents to effectively advocate events. This may involve using social media platforms, like Instagram, more effectively in sharing event details, such as using engaging features like polls, and highlighting past and present achievements through applying aesthetic edits. Additionally, sending emails and digital newsletters can ensure delivering vital information and reminders directly to residents. Furthermore, actively soliciting feedback from residents would enable RHA to align its events with more residents’ preferences. Incorporating feedback mechanisms that are easier to participate in, such as short surveys or virtual town hall meetings, would give more residents an opportunity to voice their opinions in the planning process without difficulties. RHA would be able to show its dedication to meeting the needs of the diverse community members by actively collecting feedback and incorporating their suggestions into event planning . By prioritizing these initiatives, RHA can create a more vibrant and inclusive residential community where every resident feels valued and included. RHA can also diversify programming by introducing cultural celebrations and wellness activities. Cultural celebrations would provide an opportunity to promote and celebrate the different backgrounds within the residential community. Some models to follow include VSA’s Moonfest or AASA’s Tour of Asia that involved cultural celebration to promote diversity and inclusion with cultural performances, exhibitions, and interactive activities. These events not only celebrate diverse cultures but also foster understanding and respect for different traditions and perspectives. Providing traditional food would also attract more residents and allow them to try food from different countries around the world, which would be a unique experience. The wellness activities would be designed to enhance the mental and emotional well-being of residents. Offering a variety of wellness activities can cover the different needs and preferences of the residential community. For instance, offering free healthy snacks during exam seasons or hosting meditation sessions and yoga classes can help residents reduce stress and enhance overall mental and emotional well-being. Including cultural celebrations and wellness activities in RHA’s program will improve the residential experience by providing the residents with opportunities for cultural exchange and community bonding. Through embracing diversity and promoting well-being, RHA can build a vibrant and inclusive residential community where every resident feels valued and supported.

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 Spring 2024, I will be serving as Junior Outreach Chair in Asian American Student Association and a part of Fundraising Committee in Vietnamese Student Association. Having a flexible schedule after classes, I will dedicate time for each commitment to complete all tasks by the deadline. I cultivated time management skills through high school while balancing academics and extracurriculars such as student organizations and community service. I prioritize and complete tasks in order of importance after careful planning and also take breaks after each task to maintain productivity. This way, I am able fulfill my duties to each organization while also maintaining a healthy work-life balance even in a high stress environment.

Primary Position: Director of Administration

Secondary Position: None

Education: 2nd Year Computer Engineering Major, Graduating BS This Spring

Leadership Track Status: Has Not Started

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

My first experience with IT was in 10th grade, when I was an intern for my school districts IT department. My project was completely redeveloping the district website and migrating the hosting to in-house: a task which I soon learned was much more challenging than it first appeared. Although it was initially a struggle to find quality educational resources on how to accomplish this or setup meetings with my supervisor to verify my approach, the process taught me a lot about the importance of administration and fueled my interest in Cybersecurity. Since then, I’ve developed roughly half-a-dozen websites and gained experience with cloud computing services such as AWS, Oracle Cloud, and Google Firebase. Additionally, I’ve explored coursework in this area and have taken classes such as Advanced Programming Techniques and Cloud Computing. I believe these skills will be invaluable to my efforts as the next Director of Administration.

State your motivation for joining the RHA Executive Board. 

My first experience with the RHA was as a freshman, when I was the proud Communications Coordinator for my Area Council. I vividly recall the excitement of collaborating with fellow students to promote events, share important updates, and foster a sense of community within our residence halls. It was during this role that I discovered my passion for effective communication and community engagement. My current role as the RA for the Global Leadership LLC has further ignited my commitment to fostering a supportive and globally aware community. Serving on the RHA exec board would enable me continue my commitment to the RHA as a graduate student and have a more significant impact on the Tech Community.

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

As a Computer Engineering student, I take specific interest in the Director of Administration role because it offers me a way to apply my skills to the RHA. While, my primary motive in joining the RHA exec board is to contribute to the RHA to the best of my ability, I believe I can make the most positive impact as the Director of Administration. Additionally, the role offers me an experience to apply and grow my skillset in a field I am very passionate about.

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

I believe my experience with IT and cloud computing will be a unique contribution I can bring to the RHA. Through my journey of learning about cloud computing and applying these concepts to IT, I’ve encountered numerous challenges. From minor mishaps like misconfiguring a domain name to more significant blunders such as accidentally deleting my private SSH key to a remote server, each experience has taught me valuable lessons. I’ve made it a point to learn from these setbacks and ensure that I never repeat the same mistake twice. As a member on the RHA staff, I would bring these unique technical lessons and problem-solving to the board along with my continuous commitment to learning.

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

One major component of the RHA which needs improvement is its communication. Overall, I feel that the RHA is fantastic at supporting students through its programs and initiatives; however, many students are unaware of the resources the RHA offers beyond this because of a simple lack of communication. One of the things I most recall from my experience as an Area Council officer is that many of my fellow residents were unaware of what the Area Council did or why we existed; for the first few weeks we struggled with attendance and it was only after immense communication efforts, including GroupMe messages, emails, and physical flyers hung up on each floor of each residence hall, that we were able to impart our purpose to residents and bring attendance to our events. For an organization as large as the RHA, this is a much more formidable task, especially because the flaw does not lie in a lack of communication for RHA programs, but rather a lack of communication for the resources RHA offers in general. Naturally, it would be hard to improve, but the RHA and students would benefit from better communication.

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? 

Improving the communication for an organization as large as the RHA would be a formidable task. One possible approach could be to do mini-interviews for random samples of Tech students and ask them what their perception of the RHA is and what they know about the resources it offers. These interviews could provide valuable insight regarding which communication channels are employed effectively and which need improvement. Additionally, asking questions like which sources influence students’ perceptions of the RHA could indicate potential communication channels to utilize. Another approach entirely could be to observe external organizations which have been successful in their communication initiatives and see which communication channels they’ve employed effectively. Modeling our communication strategy off of theirs could result in similar success and improvement. Yet another approach could be to host a dual-purpose event which would educate Tech students about the RHA. For example, a stress-buster event which also includes information about resources that the RHA offers outside its initiatives and programs. Events like could leverage the RHA’s strength in communication program-based information to address the RHA’s challenges in communicating resource-based information.

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. 

In addition to serving on the RHA executive board next year, I also intend to serve as a graduate research assistant or teaching assistant as well as maintain a commitment to two extracurricular activities. By using the same time management skills I currently employ, I am confident in my ability to balance these commitments. For 3/4 semesters at Tech, I have balanced a 20-credit course load with my leadership responsibilities to two extracurriculars and my commitments as a resident and teaching assistant. This semester, I proudly serve as a research assistant, resident assistant, and teaching assistant in addition to my commitment to the two extracurricular activities. I love it and thrive in this mentally stimulating environment. This semester, I look forward to graduating from my BS with a 4.0 and can’t wait to start my MS in the fall!

Primary Position: Director of Communication

Secondary Position: Director of Finance

Education: 2nd Year Neuroscience

Leadership Track Status: Has Not Started

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

Throughout my academic journey, I’ve consistently looked for opportunities to serve my community. I believe my leadership and community service experiences from high school and at GT have given me the skills and qualities necessary to work as the Director of Communication for the Residence Hall Association. During my time at North Gwinnett High School, I co-founded and served as the President of the Hearts and Crafts Club in my last year of high school, where we made accomplishments such as donating around 400 handmade stuffed animals to four different children’s hospitals and donating $700 to the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta by holding charity fundraising sales of our handmade jewelry. My role involved various responsibilities: communicating with the school to make the club an official student organization and to provide members with volunteer hours approved by the school; holding weekly meetings with executive board officers to assist them with their roles; creating graphics to promote club meetings, events, and fundraising sales; organizing collab events with other clubs to increase participation; and, reaching out and communicating with hospitals organize donations. My experiences from founding and running the Hearts & Crafts club equipped me with various skills such as leadership, communication, and organization. In my role as the primary person responsible for the organizational newsletter, I would utilize my graphic design skills from Hearts & Crafts in order to ensure that the newsletter serves as an effective tool for communication and engagement within the RHA community. Being responsible for drafting and sending emails to residents, Resident Assistants, and Hall Directors also aligns perfectly with my experiences. My role as Vice President of the Korean American Student Association in my high school further deepened my understanding of importance of communication in promoting inclusion and addressing societal issues. Initiatives like facilitating open discussions on racism and coordinating awareness campaigns taught me how to better build a diverse and welcoming environment for everyone. In addition to the awareness campaigns, I played a significant role in expanding the club’s membership from 60 to 120 students through social media promotion, which I believe will be a helpful experience for me as a Director of Communication. Transitioning to Georgia Tech, I continued to build onto my leadership and communication experiences as the Fundraising Director of the Vietnamese Student Association and Junior Education Chair of the Asian American Student Association. Organizing cultural events like the Moon Festival and Tour of Asia allowed me to promote diversity and inclusion on campus through encouraging active student participation. Furthermore, coordinating fundraisers helped me gain more effective communication skills with external vendors and school administrators to hold successful events. As a GT Undergraduate Research Ambassador working in the Events Committee, I am currently involved in planning and executing events to promote undergraduate research experiences on GT campus. I believe my experience of guiding students through their research journey and facilitating their engagement with academic opportunities would be beneficial as I work as a resource and advocate for the interests of the residence hall community. Tutoring SAT, AP classes, and various subjects over two years has further improved my teaching and communication abilities to carry out my thoughts and ideas clearly and concisely. Promoting my tutoring to gain new and keep my continuing students also enhanced my communication and interpersonal skills, which I believe would be beneficial for my work as a DoC. Beyond leadership and academic pursuits, I’m passionate about community service. As an assistant teacher at the Korean American School of Atlanta, I used my knowledge of Korean language and culture to teach young learners, later getting recognized as Assistant Teacher of the Year. Volunteering at the Gwinnett Public Library and serving as a Blood Donor Ambassador at the American Red Cross further made me realize the values of service and community engagement. My experiences in leadership and community service roles have equipped me with the passion, knowledge, and skills necessary to work as the Director of Communication for the Residence Hall Association. I believe I’d be able to efficiently contribute to the RHA executive board with my background and commitment to the community.

State your motivation for joining the RHA Executive Board. 

Through RHA, I want to foster community. Using my leadership and community service experiences in various student organizations, I’ve found the immense joy and fulfillment that comes from serving and caring for others and from seeing their genuine enjoyment of events I’ve organized. Transitioning from rooming with random roommates to living with a close friend this semester made me realize the importance of building meaningful connections with neighbors, Joining the Residence Hall Association executive board, I aim to foster a stronger sense of belonging among GT students through events that bring them together and allow valuable personal connections.

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

I’m interested in the Director of Communiation position as I believe that the leadership and community service experiences and skills I have make me well-suited for the role. From my various leadership experiences working as co-founder of the Hearts and Crafts Club, Vice President of the Korean American Student Association, and Fundraising Director of VSA, I’ve gained useful skills in communication, organization, and events planning and execution. Holding inclusion and awareness campaigns also taught me the importance and power of effective communication and promotion. I believe that these experiences, along with my background in graphic design, make me well-suited to serve as the primary person responsible for the promotional newsletters and emails. I’m excited about the opportunity to use and build onto my diverse experiences and skills to contribute to the residence hall community at Georgia Tech.

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

As the Director of Communication, I plan to bring my unique experiences in leadership, communication, and community service. My experiences in different leadership positions have provided me with valuable insights and skills for effective communication skills. I will use these experiences to facilitate communication within the RHA community. Furthermore, my background in graphic design and communication would greatly help me with the responsibilities that I would have as a Director of Communication. As the person responsible for the organizational newsletter, I’ll utilize my graphic design skills to make sure that the newsletter serves as an effective communication tool. Additionally, my experience in drafting and sending emails to diverse organizations and people will help me to effectively communicate with residents, Resident Assistants, and Hall Directors. As an advisor to various committees within the Office of the Director of Communication, I’ll provide guidance and support to encourage collaboration and creativity within the board. Utilizing my experiences in planning and coordinating events, I’ll effectively work with committee members to come up with creative ideas to contribute to building a community. As a Director of Communication, I’d like to improve student engagement within the organization and build collaborations that could benefit diverse communities at Tech.

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 any one thing about RHA, I would prioritize increasing diversity and participation among students on campus. I believe that inclusivity and representation from diverse backgrounds are most important in order to build a vibrant, inclusive community at Georgia Tech. Continuously encouraging participation from individuals with different and unique cultural, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds would allow RHA to better reflect the diverse composition of the student body at Tech. Reaching out to new individuals to participate in RHA events on campus would not only increase student involvement but also help more students to make meaningful connections with others. This would allow students to interact with others who share similar interests, qualities, and lifestyles them, which would greatly enrich their college experience. I think that maintaining a good social life in college is essential for personal growth and development because interacting with and learning from peers offers invaluable insights and experiences, which often are very difficult to obtain outside of college. I’d love to contribute to providing more students with more new opportunities to interact with others and make meaningful memories with one another during their undergraduate years at Tech.

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? 

Holding collaborative events with different student organizations could be very helpful in increasing student involvement and participation in RHA. Such collaborations would not only expand the scope of RHA’s initiatives but also provide opportunities for cultural exchange and collaboration among different student organizations and groups. From my experiences as the President of Hearts & Crafts, collaborating with diverse student groups allowed us to expand our charity initiatives and encourage more people to get involved. Similarly, I believe that I can effectively contribute to this collaboration initiative using my personal connections with diverse student organizations and groups on campus. Moreover, increased participation from students with diverse backgrounds within RHA would instill a sense of belonging and community among Georgia Tech students, as students from different backgrounds would feel more valued and represented.

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. 

Outside of RHA, I anticipate external commitments like weekend tutoring, research projects I’m conducting, and involvement in the Undergraduate Research Ambassadors (URA). Since my first year, I’ve been involved in research at the Comparative Neuromechanics Lab, dedicating 3 to 6 hours weekly. Last semester, I also participated in VSA modern dance, devoting over 6 hours each week to practices and performances, although I’m not continuing next year due to other commitments. My past experiences at Tech and in high school, balancing multiple leadership roles alongside a demanding academic schedule and extracurriculars, have given me effective time management skills. With this background, I’m confident in my ability to effectively prioritize tasks and allocate time, ensuring consistent contributions to RHA every week.

Primary Position: Director of Finance

Secondary Position: None

Education: 1st Year Mechanical Engineering

Leadership Track Status: Has Not Started

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

For over half a decade, my mom has acted as a city commissioner of my hometown. As my role model, her interest and dedication to her position has deeply influenced me. Throughout the years, we often discussed governance, municipal affairs, and financing a city. Through these conversations I have gained an understanding of governmental process and budgeting, but I have also gained an appreciation for the importance of effective financial management. As the Financial Coordinator for the Third Street Community Council, I have drawn parallels between municipal and community financials, and improved my understanding through practical applications. Before any of this, however, growing up financially challenged has left me with a pragmatic understanding of money as a whole. To this day, I rely on Pell and Zell grants and VA benefits to attend college, so I have to responsibly manage my own finances to account for the present and more importantly, the future of my education. This firsthand, ongoing experience has translated to my position as the Financial Coordinator; whether it is budgeting, allocating, or evaluating our financial situation, I am able to prioritize forward and sustainable thinking for our community. My ongoing tenure as the Financial Coordinator also represents the most telling experience I have in this field. As such, I have refined my financial management skills by budgeting, tracking our expenses, reporting to the community, filling out paperwork, and ensuring fiscal success in our residence halls. This firsthand experience has reinforced my conceptual and practical understanding of the importance of well-informed financial decisions for organizational success, and I look forward to bringing this knowledge to the greater RHA. In addition to my financial experience, I also have a long history of event organization and community involvement, whether it was running fundraisers to coordinating service projects. From successfully raising funds for Easter baskets in middle school, to acting as the Service Project Coordinator of the BEAR Club in high school, to brainstorming possible service projects as a TBΣ candidate, I have consistently organized and participated in meaningful initiatives. As the Financial Coordinator, I have also worked with my council to host a Christmas Movie night and a Superbowl watch party, which both had a large positive impact in our community. I am excited to use my skills to support the greater RHA as the Director of Finance. From managing finances, to training future Community Council members, to organizing campus-wide events, I am prepared to dedicate my time, effort, and energy to the future of the RHA and all it stands for.

State your motivation for joining the RHA Executive Board. 

I am interested in the RHA Executive Board because of my passion for community involvement and municipal governance inspired by my mom’s role as a city commissioner. Serving as the Third Street Financial Coordinator, I’ve witnessed the positive impact of my position which has been a very rewarding responsibility, and I am interested in bringing this experience to the broader RHA.

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

Ever since my mom became a city commissioner, I have been interested in municipal governance and community involvement. For years now, we have had discussions about the workings of a city, including amenities, utilities, and most importantly, money. When I came here, I learned about the RHA by an email from my hall director, and I was immediately interested in pursuing the Financial Coordinator position. I saw the chance to apply theoretical knowledge practically and I jumped at the opportunity, specifically in a financial position because I believe that financial stability is crucial for progress. It is true in a city, and from what I have seen, it is true in the RHA. I am now running for the Director of Finance because throughout my time as the Third Street Financial Coordinator, I have seen the positive impacts of my work which has been a rewarding experience, and I believe I can bring this passion to the greater RHA to have a greater impact.

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

In assuming the role of the Director of Finance in RHA, I am prepared to be a dedicated member of the Executive Board. My interest in this position stems from a genuine, long-standing passion for financial management and a desire to make a meaningful impact greater than myself. As someone who understands the importance of effective financial management, I am invested in furthering the success and sustainability of the RHA, and I will allocate as much time and energy needed to achieve this. Additionally, I will be a valuable follower and leader on the team, as needed. My experience in leadership extends back years, from leading service organizations and fundraisers to improve a community, to leading groups of peers as a Section Leader in band, and my participation as a follower extends for years before each of those. I have a demonstrated ability to listen to peers, take input, direct others, and anything else I need to do to be an effective team member. Furthermore, my track record of community involvement and event organization displays my dedication to making a positive difference, which I will bring to the RHA. I will be an active member in organization events, whether participating in, planning, or preparing events, and I will strive to make these events as impactful as possible with enthusiasm and determination. In assuming the responsibilities of the Director of Finance, I will work to improve the RHA in any way I can.

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 given the opportunity to improve one aspect of RHA, I would loosen some restrictions residents encounter while submitting particular bills. As it stands, the Community Councils and greater RHA are an inconsequential part of most residents’ lives, and interest in them as an organization is generally superficial and tenuous at best. On top of this, while trying to submit bills, they are met with complex restrictions they aren’t prepared to navigate, such as dollar limits per receipt, receipt limits per bill, and misconceptions and incomprehension regarding permanent improvements. By revising these policies, I hope to make the RHA more user-friendly, allowing residents to take a more active role in their communities. Simplifying financial stipulations on bills, clarifying guidelines, and making more intuitive policies will not only enhance efficiency but also provide increased opportunities for residents to see their visions for their communities come to pass.

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? 

Regarding the revision of policies within the RHA, I recognize the distinct challenge presented by outlining a direct strategy without a comprehensive knowledge of their origins and rationale and a thorough grasp of the aspects involved in changing policy, as well as without input from the rest of the Executive Board. Under this premise, I believe it would be counterproductive to base a strategy with no practical basis, so another approach must be taken. Instead, I advocate for a different approach centered on the research and analysis of existing policy. In order to be in a position to effectively revise policy, I first need a foundational understanding of the context and intent behind said policy in the first place. This will allow me to work with the Board regarding possible changes to introduce to the RHA, ensuring that my actions are informed, practical, and beneficial. Ultimately, my goal is to simplify policies in a manner which both upholds the integrity of the RHA and enhances accessibility for Georgia Tech residents, meaning that while I will strive to achieve this, I can’t begin this process without communication with the Executive Board and the greater RHA.

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, my primary external obligations will involve participation in band organizations including Marching/Pep, Concert, and Jazz bands, as well as my commitment to ΤΒΣ. These combined activities require a lot of time, but I am confident in my ability to manage these commitments. I plan to maintain open communication with all parties involved and prioritize my time accordingly. In my past experience, band-related leadership has been understanding about my scheduling conflicts due to my performance and willingness to make up events, and I am confident that this will continue to be an effective strategy this upcoming year to prioritize my time effectively while still making sure I fulfill all of my responsibilities.

Primary Position: Director of Programming

Secondary Position: None

Education: 1st Year Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Major

Leadership Track Status: Has Not Started

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

While historically I have held many leadership positions for various clubs and organizations, my position as Meetings Coordinator for West Village has best prepared me for Director of Development. And while I could sit here and list various leadership roles and civic engagements, I think my words here are best spent in describing how this one role has prepared me for executive council. I have gotten to wear many hats as the Meeting Coordinator for West Village, and got to act as the primary planner of all of our events. Anyone can come up with a good idea to improve engagement in our living communities, but it takes a very special kind of person and a team of strong people in order to actually bring these ideas to reality. Two of the accomplishments I am most proud of this semester is our Pumpkinfest event and our Holiday Party. My team decided that we wanted to have a pumpkin carving event for our residents, and so a bill was drafted and it was passed at our next community council meeting. As the date set for the pumpkin carving event approached, we quickly realized that there was a lot more that went into organizing a pumpkin carving event than we had previously thought. I drafted a budget form for this event, and went through and added costs for thirty pumpkins, pumpkin carving tools, trash bags, apple cider, cutlery and cups, snacks, paint, and paint brushes. I only had a budget of two-hundred dollars, and I had to pull off an event for over thirty residents. After a question at one of our meetings about the ecological effects of pumpkin carving at our meeting, I started considering other aspects of planning, like how to be the most environmentally friendly. I changed the budget to change for biodegradable cutlery, changed the location of the event to outdoors so that the pumpkin guts could decompose naturally instead of ending up in a landfill, and even looked into biodegradable paint for the pumpkins that would be painted. I work a part-time job and was taking seventeen credit hours with two lab classes working towards my degree in chemical and biomolecular engineering, and yet I still found myself spending hours thinking about how I could best manage my team and plan this event. I drove to Target and hauled thirty pumpkins by myself, picked up tables and games from the resource room and set up for the event, and then manned the event to make sure that everything was running smoothly and that our residents were enjoying their time carving pumpkins. The event was a smashing success. We had a larger yield than expected and received nothing but positive feedback from our residents. By the time the holidays rolled around my team and I already had our eyes set on a large-scale Holiday Bash. I spent countless hours planning for this event and preparing, but I had learned from the first event that it was okay to ask my team for help and that I could better provide for my residents if I wasn’t working alone. This time I delegated. I made an outline of different responsibilities that each member of my team would have, and checked in with them frequently to make sure they weren’t overwhelmed and were able to complete everything that had been assigned to them. My partner in crime was the West Village Financial Coordinator, Austin Wang. He looked over my detailed budgeting form for our budget, helped me decorate and set up an hour before the event, was there with me for the entire two hours, and helped me carry the tons of decorations back to my dorm. One thing that I have learned from this position is the importance of gratitude, and he went above and beyond for me to help me with this event. Having someone I knew I could rely on taught me teamwork, gratitude, and it gave me a love for what I do for my residents by seeing the community that we were building. The dedication I saw within myself and in those who helped support me, like Austin Wang, inspired me to want to continue this kind of work on a larger scale. Because of the lessons I have learned from managing this team and planning these large scale events, I believe that I will make a valuable addition to the executive team. One event that is coming up that I am very excited for is the whopping eight hundred dollar Lunar New Year Bill. This is even more money to plan for than next semester, and I have been busily planning for this event as it quickly approaches. One of the biggest considerations for this event is making sure that it is as culturally accurate as possible in order to respect the culture of our residents that celebrate but also to give our residents that do not celebrate a chance to appreciate the beautiful traditions of their fellow residents. Inclusion is very important to me which is why I have been working so hard to make this event accessible to every resident in our building. We are currently expecting between seventy to ninety residents for this event. This amount of residents is definitely stressful but I have felt supported by my team to help make this event as amazing as we possibly can. We have also been consulting with people outside of RHA, like members from the Chinese Student Association, in order to help make this event a success. I am so excited for this event, and am ready to tackle the challenges that come with it. I can only imagine that my excitement will grow exponentially if I got the opportunity to plan large events like this for the entire student population, and it is my hope as the Director of Development to celebrate the culture of every single student at Georgia Tech.

State your motivation for joining the RHA Executive Board. 

I was the RHA West Village Presentations Coordinator this past year, and a large part of my job was connecting with other area councils and working with my team to organize large events. I enjoyed doing this quite a bit, and I feel like I could do a lot for the Georgia Tech Community on the RHA Executive Board because I have been able to connect with so many different people. Diversity is something that I love about Georgia Tech, and through these connections I have been able to help support our diverse student population and encourage this celebration of our diversity.

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

I am interested in Director of Programming because I have been the primary idea person and planning person for all events that my council has put on this year. I genuinely enjoy being able to plan events that are not only educational but also fun for the residents. Food is always a good thing too, and I love talking to residents to find out the kinds of foods that they want for their events. Talking to residents is important, because sometimes I can be surprised by the things a lot of our residents would like to see. I am dedicated to working to make Georgia Tech a more welcoming place, and I feel like the best way to do this is through programs and events because that is where residents are able to get the most involved. As Director of Programming I want to be able to reflect the beautiful diverse community we have at Georgia Tech and be able to build community through events for our residents.

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

The other members of my community council often ask me, “How are you able to balance so much? You seem like you have a lot on your plate.” Yes, while it may seem on paper that I am doing a lot and managing quite a bit, mindset is the number one tool in being able to successfully manage life, and a team. I work a part time job, am taking 5 classes, working on an engineering project, am in a sorority, and manage my RHA team like a tight ship. And yes, I still have friends and a very good social life. So how do I balance being a good student, student leader, and employee? It’s all mindset. Instead of overwhelming myself with everything I have to do, I make a detailed plan with due dates for myself to break my work into bite sized pieces. This plan is meticulous; I have exactly when I will start my assignment and exactly when I will be finished with it. I have the times that I will eat, and the times that I will be social. I make sure to schedule myself breaks so I don’t get burnt out. And most importantly, I remind myself that I am surrounded by a community of people that also have a lot to do but also are willing to help if they are able. I help delegate tasks for large events with my RHA team, and when they ask for help I make sure they get it. I teach my team how to be an active worker and how to accomplish things well, and they have thanked me for the life management skills I have taught them. I am always willing to help when I can, but I don’t let me helping others overwhelm my own schedule. I am incredibly organized, and I work well with deadlines. I would bring all of these organizational skills and work ethic to this position. As mentioned earlier, I can be a bit of a social butterfly. This works perfectly for the Director of Programming because it is most important for the Director of Programming to be able to interact with residents and put on events for them. I am a great active listener, and I am excited to be able to talk with residents and listen to them to build the community that they want to have.

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 think the way that we have our community councils set up is not most beneficial to RHA. Yes, the workload on paper is distributed fairly, but in actuality that is not always the case. From the people on my team that complain they are doing too much their most common complaint is that they had no idea what they were signing up for. I think it is in the best interests of RHA to fully disclose what each position is like. Additionally, these people that complain that they were blindsighted often express wishing that they could leave, but worry that if they do leave that the councils will fall apart. There needs to be a procedure in place to help the people that can not do their jobs exit gracefully and find someone else that can be elected so that the team is not abandoned. Unfortunately when it is hard for a team member to leave they end up bringing the rest of the team down with their negativity and inaction to complete the tasks needed. As Director of Programming, I would like to be able to work with the community councils to make sure that this does not happen because teamwork builds community.

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 like I answered this briefly in the last question, and any other specific adjustments would have to be determined as a team.

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. 

I am in a social sorority and plan on running for executive board on this social sorority. This is a time commitment beyond RHA but it goes to show just how deep my connections are within the Georgia Tech community. Many of the events that my sorority puts on, social or philanthropy, help the sisters and larger community, similar to how RHA serves the residents on Tech’s campus. My involvements with this sorority should not interfere with my RHA commitments. Additionally I am known for having excellent time management skills. I am a Chemical Engineer and take 15-17 credit hours a semester while working 10-12 hours a week at my job and running my council meetings and setting up for large events as the Presentations Coordinator of West Village. In one week I managed an 800$ Lunar New Year Event, put together close to 150 candygrams, and planned for a bracelet making event, all while getting straight A’s on the 3 exams I had that week, going to my sorority events, and working 12 hours. I am an excellent time manager and my outside obligations will not interfere with my RHA duties because I am committed to staying diligent to my work for RHA and for being able to put in the work necessary in all parts of my life. I do not foresee any issues for me with balancing commitments.