Spring Up Leadership Program
From standing nervously in front of a crowded room of freshmen and sophomores, to later developing a marketing strategy and coordinating a staff of nine to increase brand awareness, I have gained unrealized skills and grown exponentially as a leader during my two years on Spring Up staff, an Auburn University campus organization.
Shaping Others
If I have one piece of advice to any college student who is unsure of their "place" on a university campus, it is to get involved with a campus organization. Spring Up is a program for freshman and sophomore students, that holds weekly meetings in the spring semester only, and builds leadership qualities, showcases different campus organizations, and promotes learning through interview workshops and resume building.
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My first year on Spring Up's staff, I served as an assistant director. Every week I would participate in staff meetings, help develop the lesson content, be available for students to ask questions, and lead meetings. I became practiced in how to connect with students over embarrassing moments and how to lead without seeming too authoritarian. The most difficult balance in this program was to maintain the enthusiasm and fun culture of being part of the organization, while also successfully imparting wisdom, leadership, and service skills to the students.
The following year, I began nursing school and applied for an executive team position. While my biggest priority was academics, I narrowed my volunteer and involvement scope to only this organization, so that I could excel and put a lot of effort into both areas. This was the first year Spring Up had had an executive staff, and I served as the Vice President of Marketing.
My previous experience in marketing and design had come from two years of being on my high school's yearbook staff, so I had a lot to learn when it came to promoting an organization and idea across a campus of 23,000 people. This role stretched me to adapt to last minute notifications or problems, and facing rejection with grace. Some of the responsibilities I held were to attend executive staff and staff meetings, create flyers, t-shirt designs, coordinate promotional visits to other organizations, maintain Spring Up's website, write articles, post on social media, and professionally collaborate with the university's marketing team.
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Being a nursing major and a vice president of marketing for an organization seem like two very contrasting and unrelated fields. In this role I grew more confident in my ability to accomplish something that was out of my comfort zone. Organization, punctuality, and teamwork are skills that I believe will carry into my practice as a floor nurse and potentially a role in leadership in nursing.
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To view my articles, pictures, and other marketing material, please use the link to Spring Up Leadership's website.
Marketing Philosophy
The most valuable thing to the success of any public brand, cause, or idea, is the ability to survive in this harsh world of continuous media stimulation, which is effective marketing. The purpose of marketing is to increase awareness to a target audience, in a way that promotes intelligent conversation, inspiration, and acceptance. This is accomplished through the use of various forms of media, captivating graphic design, and precise timing. Through assessment of the audience and mode of communication and timing of implementation, one can take a kick-starter idea and project it into the realm of household-name, or in my case campus-wide status.