The Psychology Leaders have evolved this year. They've branched out deeper into the community, scheduled more interactive events, and finally got some new threads!
We asked the Leaders President, Hafsa Fauqi, to recap the year and give some credit to the group that does so much without enough recognition.
How do you feel the Leaders group evolved under your leadership this year?
This was my second year serving as President of The Psychology Leaders and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and learned a lot from it. Last year we were a small group of four, and it was amazing to see how the group nearly doubled its leaders this year. I found it fulfilling to work alongside my fellow leaders and listen to their new ideas and serve as a base to help guide them as well. Meeting the new leaders and seeing their enthusiasm for the group was heartwarming, as I am about to graduate and leave the group. It is comforting to know that there are people who will continue to be passionate about the group and I hope I made an impact that will be remembered. I have actually been recognized by a couple of people around campus for being a member of The Psych Leaders or specifically being the President which feels really nice to be recognized for being a familiar face on campus representing the organization. I am proud to have been a member of the group since my freshman year building up to the role of President. The role allowed me to develop leadership, communication, and professional skills that I will continue to carry with me after graduating.
How do you decide which events to pursue, and what factors contributed to the success of your standout events?
We use our weekly meeting times to plan our events and also communicate outside of these meeting to update each other on the status of the events. We usually start with thinking about what we want the event to be and if we want to invite a guest speaker or collab with another organization. Our end of semester goody bag distribution event is always one of our most successful events. We make goody bags filled with treats, words of encouragement, and resources to give out to undergraduate psychology students during finals time. Students line up to come receive a bag and show a lot of appreciation for them as well. Other successful workshops we have hosted have been geared towards finding an internship or learning more about grad school. These events have the most attendance as students are eager to learn more about opportunities relating to their future plans. For the internship workshop we collaborate with The Career Center, more specifically Nikki Mercer, who does an excellent job of breaking down the process of internship searches. The Career Center also collaborates with us on the grad school workshop which many students find useful when considering their post-grad plans. One of my personal favorite events has been our collaboration with 4Paws for Ability, an RSO that trains service dogs. At this event, they come do a presentation about what service dogs do and how they help people with different disabilities and needs, and there is also a meet and greet with the dogs and their handlers.
The Leaders made big strides in their efforts to give back to the community. How did you come about choosing your partnerships? Could you give examples of some of the work you did?
Christian, one of our leaders who took on the role of outreach, did some research on local organizations in the C-U community and compiled a list of places that we could reach out to about volunteering as a group. From that list, Nikki, our advisor contacted a few different places about the possibility of us volunteering our time based on the group’s mutual interests. Our first volunteer event in the community was with Cunningham Children’s Home, where a few leaders and I participated in their Open Gym event. Here, we played team building games as well as basketball which was a lot of fun and a great way to get to know the youth while participating in a fun activity that is therapeutic for them. Next, we volunteered as a group at Salt & Light where we helped donate vintage and baby clothes to make room for new arrivals. It was a fun experience to work together while also witnessing the impact the store has on the community. Our last volunteering experience was at Strides Shelter. It was eye-opening and inspiring to see how the shelter cares for the local homeless individuals in our community. The leaders and I helped organize and donate clothing, making room for summer clothes and putting away winter clothes. We also did laundry to help make sure clean clothes ended up on the shelves.
The Leaders are looking sharp! Congrats on the new branding. What other new changes or progress do you envision for the Leaders going forward?
Thank you! We were very excited that we were able to finally get merch this year to wear during our time out in the community. It is my last year in the group; however, I know the group will continue to strive to serve the undergraduate student community as well as the local C-U community with their volunteer efforts going forward. I know one implementation that Nikki wants for the group is for each of them to brainstorm their own ideas for a workshop and take lead on conducting it, including aspects of outreach and being the one to introduce the potential speaker at their event. This was our first semester implementing the volunteering component, and I know the group will continue to build upon these efforts to resume next school year. We have also been talking about implementing a mentor program where the leaders would receive mentors that are alumni in fields that they are interested in pursuing, as well as the leaders serving as mentors for undergraduates to continue giving back to the student body. I have nothing but confidence in the continuing group of leaders as they will grow their skills individually and make great contributions to the organization.