Everyone is looking for that special “edge” that will make him or her look more impressive on paper in the form of a resume. I stumbled upon my edge my sophomore year when I was looking through a Student Life planner.
While looking through the planner’s pages, the Rutgers University Programming Association (RUPA) caught my eye. I liked the idea of event planning and from the little I knew about RUPA, that seemed to be their job. I decided to join because I wanted to make new friends and get more involved in the Rutgers community and what better way to do that than joining an on campus organization.
I started off in RUPA as a chair on the Public Relations committee, a position I held for a year. I then applied and was accepted as Vice President of the Traditions and Community committee, which is my current position. Joining RUPA and choosing to progress within the group has been one of the most significant decisions in my life.
RUPA is a community of over fifty students and advisors who work closely together to encourage you to be more than you are. They inspire you creatively and put your leadership skills to the test. By creating, developing and executing events with the help of a committee you gain experience and skills that are invaluable in the real world.
As a Vice President of RUPA I have had the opportunity to cultivate my leadership skills through commanding a large committee of seven members as well as attending various leadership workshops that are a part of RUPA training. I have met and networked with school faculty, staff and organizations, some of whom most students do not have access to. I’ve learned how to market events, an organization and myself to anyone with an open ear. I’ve also learned how to organize the finance side of an organization through budget management.
With all of the above criteria and more, RUPA has quickly become the majority of my resume. On every job, scholarship and internship interview I have been on, my interviewer has been interested and highly impressed by my work with RUPA. I am glad to say I also landed each of those jobs, scholarships and internships and I believe RUPA was a major factor in my success.
I joined RUPA to make friends and be a part of something but what I got out of it was so much more. Through RUPA I created for myself an edge and a brighter and more successful future.
By: Marie Pace
