The college experience is quite an intimidating process, getting through a day of classes is a feat in itself. The constant struggle of trying to build your resume, make time for classes, and hang out with your friends is a struggle we are all well aware of. Student organizations can be the perfect medium to build a resume and make friends simultaneously. As a third-year student, I thought it was too late for me to join an organization, and unfortunately, there are a lot of students across campus who feel that they either don’t have the time or feel as though their time to get involved has been wrung dry. I’m here to tell you that it’s never too late (unless your graduating tomorrow then maybe it is). All you have to do is get that foot in the door, and you’ll find yourself venturing into an interesting and new experience. When I heard about TEDxOhioStateUniversity, I knew that this organization would be worth my time. It’s the most self-sufficient student-run organization on campus - the students run everything from event planning to executing a TEDxOhioStateUniversity event.
At first, hearing that the organization was entirely student-run, I was terrified. But my fears of joining an organization were diminished during the new-member retreat. At the retreat, I learned that everyone in TEDxOhioStateUniversity is genuine, caring students. They come from many different majors and departments, but they have come together to create a safe and creative space for optimal content creation. The organization isn’t a scary replication of the prison that is corporate life, but instead, it’s a platform for people to spread their truths. The essence of TEDxOhioStateUniversity is to provide lions, who have courageous voices, a platform to spread their realities, and to promote the outbreak of voices in a world where silence is a conditioned trait. When I stepped into the room where the retreat was held, all us newcomers didn’t know what to expect. That retreat changed the way I view people. We got to know each other on levels we weren’t planning to explore. At the end of the retreat, we all sat in a circle and bore our vulnerability to the group; complete strangers were unraveling each fear and insecurity we held deep within us: This is the beauty of TEDxOhioStateUniversity. The perfect medium for strangers to be vulnerable in front of each other, and for strangers to become friends in order to create beauty with one another.
Aside from the sappiness, as mentioned the organization is student-run (with little to no help from the big boys) which means that each member has to pull their own weight for the TEDxOhioStateUniversity events to be executed efficiently. The different committees can expose members to different realms of the working world. The committees include Outreach, Public Relations, Salon, Logistics, Content, Design, and Development. These committees are strategically structured, and each work with each other like a well-oiled machine. The fluid interactions between the creative-oriented committees and the business-oriented committees allow the members to gain real-life skills that are marketable on a resume AND the real world.
TEDxOhioStateUniversity is like a little school within this vast intimidating campus. The skills one learns here, and the friends one gains here, aren’t semester-limited. The impact of this organization is long-term. We all remember the time we were in awe after watching a TED talk - our minds were blown. Being a member in TEDxOhioStateUniversity is like a perpetual version of that in-awe-feeling after watching a TED talk, and I have yet to stop being in awe of the people around me who are bringing TEDxOhioStateUniversity events to life.
