I was a volunteer at the International University Fair hosted by the Launchpad Program. Hosted at an external venue, the fair welcomed over 100 universities across the world including reputable names from India and Europe. As a volunteer, my role warranted an acute sense of awareness when tending to the needs of the representatives whether that be getting them water bottles or aiding them in managing students. While I was assigned the role of being a booth assistant, the hectic nature of the event meant that everyone was doing everything all at once. Other minute tasks included getting last-minute prints from the hotel’s copier, instantly changing to gracious-mode when greeting guests, and frantically searching for the right ID card amongst the heap on the registration desk.

Learning Outcome 1: Identify Own Strengths and Develop Areas for Growth

Universities become increasingly important as the years pass. With barely a year to go before I begin my application process, I wanted clarity on each university’s unique selling points, segregating the list by region. While I would’ve attended the University Fair regardless of having a volunteer position, planning and organizing the event helped me gain valuable insight about managing logistics and efficiently working with a multitude of people. Additionally, being a member of the Organizing committee also allowed me to see the process of college applications from a representative’s perspective and truly gauge what it is that colleges look for when accepting students. When coordinating such an event, the team needed to work together in an efficient manner which we were able to do via the delegation of tasks and outlining tangible departments that each had their task list. Working collaboratively meant that we were able to navigate hurdles, such as some representatives making a surprise visit, without much trouble. However, it must be noted that as the fair began, my communication skills were put to a test. I soon learned that I was initially unable to communicate instructions effectively, and that hampered the team’s ability to get work done due to confusion and lack of clarity. Nevertheless, as the day progressed, I was able to reflect upon this shortcoming and soon devised a way that reduced chaos and smoothened the logistical requirements of the fair.

Learning Outcome 5: Demonstrate Skills and Benefits of Working Collaboratively

Hosting an event of this size warranted a large team and to prevent chaos the only solution was to work collaboratively with each other. While the day started off on the wrong foot and everyone remained tensed when anticipating the arrival of visitors, we were soon able to find an acceptable rhythm of working through proper task allocation, firm crowd management, establishing open communication channels. In the end, adopting such a brisk method allowed us to call the event a success and we were able to avoid any “crises” per se.