My family and friends would describe me as a “joiner”. I have been involved with 7 campus organizations and held 6 executive board positions during my 4 years at Illinois State University. I currently serve as the president of the Illinois State University Association for Women in Communications Student Chapter and the graduate advisor of the Student Alumni Council.
Did this all come naturally to me? Not at all! Walking onto the campus of Illinois State University freshman year was overwhelming to say the least. In high school, I was not in any clubs, I never raised my hand in class, and I struggled making friends. It was safe to say that I “blended in”.
Deciding to Dive In
I acknowledged the fact that I did not want to go unnoticed at ISU. I wanted my peers to see me as a talkative, easy going, and friendly person. Most of all, I wanted to be a leader; I aspired to be the person that other students look up to. This was a difficult goal to achieve being introverted by nature. I figured that if I was going to become this person, I needed a starting point. Searching the ISU website was my first step. I was looking for clubs that sounded interesting and welcoming. I found a few that caught my eye, but I was beyond nervous to join. The hardest part was forcing myself to go to meetings where I didn’t know anyone. Although it doesn’t seem like much, walking into a room full of strangers was one of the biggest challenges I have ever faced. Challenges lead to a simple, yet valuable realization: you must face your fears to achieve your goals. Looking back, I am so proud of myself for going above and beyond expectations and avoiding floating through college.
The Big Leap
After slowly moving into my involvements, I started talking to more people. Once making conversation started getting easier, I gained a little bit of self-confidence. Something I had to remind myself was this: these people started somewhere, too. Soon, I was trying more clubs, going to events, and using my newfound networking skills. Eventually, I ran for my first executive board position, and I was thrilled to be chosen as the secretary for the ISU Association for Women in Communications. Shortly after that, another opportunity came along that involved an interview. I had a big advantage being able to say that I had already been involved with clubs and had experience. That interview was a success; I was chosen to be on the recruitment board for the biggest fundraising event on campus – the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s Up til Dawn event, which became one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life. Overall, the opportunities that were a product of my involvement have influenced my passions and improved my confidence as a professional.
The Effect of Leadership
As the current president of AWC, I have been leading a team of 12 executive board members. Most of these executive board positions are filled by people who are experiencing their first leadership role, just like I did with AWC. I am grateful to stand beside these future leaders and encourage them to keep moving forward. Emphasis on stand beside them, because I am learning from them just as much as they learn from me and we are a great team. As a leader, I have the opportunity to help those who are taking their first steps into the professional world, which has been so rewarding. My current goal is to continue developing my leadership strategy because I hope to continue to learn and practice being a valuable leader.
About the Author
Julia Gramont is the the Fall workshop and Membership chair for the Bloomington-Normal, Illinois professional chapter and President of the AWC student chapter at Illinois State University. Before holding the student chapter’s president position, Julia served as Secretary, Treasurer, and Website Development chair. Julia is also a Graduate Assistant for Alumni Engagement and the Social chair for the Graduate Student Association at ISU.
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