Coming back to the GSP community at first was a bit uncertain for me. I wanted to come back but I was not sure that I was going to be able to. GSP had received an unusually high number of returning leader applications and, as a late applicant, I was placed on the waitlist for a couple of months. I was a bit sad at this point because GSP was an amazing opportunity for me during my sophomore year and I wanted to continue it. Then one summer day I received an email from Ashley stating that I would be able to return to the GSP community as a general member. At first, I was not sure what being a general member would be like, as this was a brand-new membership option, but I was excited to be accepted back. I read the email a bit further and saw exactly what being a general member of GSP would be like. The summer ended and the semester began at first there was a bit of hiccups with being a general member but throughout the semester my experience as a general member was wonderful.

Vivian, a GSP Student Engagement Coordinator, has been such an important figure in my GSP experience. She has made multiple efforts to help me develop into a young professional. In my sophomore year, she helped me write my first-ever cover letter and this year she has sent me multiple internships to consider applying for. I appreciate the support from Vivian. She constantly asks me how I am doing, which I appreciate because I can be a very timid person and Vivian allows me to just simply talk. She has also offered me valuable feedback. For example, this semester I planned the GSP Headshot Expo along with my fellow peers. In the planning of this event, there was a bit of miscommunication that could have been solved if I had better communication skills. Vivian scheduled a meeting with me and, in that meeting, I was able to recognize and address my faults. Later, I bettered my line of communication with my peers. If it were not for that meeting and Vivian’s approach in the one-on-one with me then I would not have been able to reflect on what exactly I did wrong. Thank you, Vivian, for helping me develop as a professional.

The Headshot Expo is something that I wanted to plan out because I know, personally, I lack professional headshots. I wanted to give students something that I lack, through a skill that I possess. A lot of marginalized students do not have the resources to get professional headshots taken so I wanted to give a free resource to the GSP community. Planning the event did come with some difficulties, but I was happy that those difficulties were able to be overcome and the event turned out to be a success. There was an idea to go beyond professional head shots, inviting students to dress up in cultural attire in celebration of their heritage. I would have personally loved it if students did this but they did not. This could have been fixed in the advertising of the event. I would like to repeat this event in the next semester.

Something that GSP has taught me is how healthy dialogues are and how self-reflection is key to success. Last year, the class dialogues I participated in focused on topics that impact the world around us. This macro-scale of dialogues is important because it allows students to see how the world around them works. However, macro-scale dialogues can sometimes be like a big painting, you’ll miss the smaller details of the bodywork and focus more on the general picture. This year, through my general membership and working with the GSP Student Organization, I have been able to hold dialogues and discussions with my peers on a more micro level. I believe that the dialogues that I have had this year are more on a micro level because the topics we discussed are more about how to make GSP a better org in the future. Conversely, last year, I had to think more about the world and society. Sometimes I would think of solutions but that’s only because I felt I needed to, not that it was asked of me to come up with solutions. This year, it is almost asked of me to come up with solutions to fix the smaller details that will overall fix the bigger picture.

GSP this year has taught me how to problem solve and how I can sharpen my communication skills. I am glad to be a part of it this year and I can’t wait to train to be a peer facilitator for the upcoming school year in 2024-25.