Freshmen Reaching Excellence in Engineering (F.R.E.E)
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"Great organizations demand a high level of commitment by the people involved" - Bill Gates
Pure Love
Words cannot begin to describe the love I have for this organization. I spent three years in FREE, and in return, I have gained memories and experiences that I will cherish for a lifetime. Throughout my time in the organization, I have met over 200 intelligent, unique, and special people.
The Beginning Of The Journey
Coming into college, I was scared. For the first time in my life, most of my friends were gone and I was on my own. I did not know where to start, but I figured an engineering organization would be good for my resume and be a good way to meet people. I then got into FREE within the first few weeks and learned that my initial thoughts of what the organization was about were completely off. I have never been more grateful to be wrong in my life. My freshman year of FREE was filled with fun events, late-night talks, and spontaneous road trips. I gained some of my best friends within my first year and it only took a short few weeks to know I wanted more.
Continuing the Journey
My next year in FREE was spent as a counselor for the organization. At first, I was afraid of the new role I had and if I would be good enough for the role. As the year went on, I learned that the new role had new responsibilities and required dedication to do well. Despite the age gap, I gained more strong relationships with the new members as well. One other outcome that resulted from my year as a FREE counselor was my discovered love of mentorship. I learned that being a mentor requires hard work but the resulting spoils are worth it. This was my first experience as a mentor and it was unknowingly the start of my leadership philosophy. Unfortunately, this year concluded prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the organization at risk of changing for the worse, I decided to return for a third year as the organization's leader.
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Fun Fact: I loved the organization so much, that I drove over 24 hours roundtrip to meet the group on the organization's ski trip in New Mexico and spend 12 hours with them.
Fin
My third and final year in FREE was spent as one of four leaders of the organization. To say that running the organization during a pandemic was a challenge would be an understatement. I wanted to create an experience for incoming freshmen that past members had, but it was a challenge to do so with strict social distancing guidelines set by the college and the government. The year started rough with having to make staffing decisions. Believe me when I say calling 25 of your close friends to inform them you decided to not give them something they want so bad is extremely challenging. Another challenge that had to be faced was the member experience being subpar due to the lack of interaction between members. This along with dealing with having to deal with breaches of social distancing guidelines forced me to work harder for the organization than ever before. I had to become immensely active (something abnormal for executive members) and balance the role of being a friend and an authoritative figure within the organization. In the end, the year turned out to be the year I was most proud of. Members began to form bonds with one another, in-person events were approved at the end of the year, and I was ultimately able to accomplish my goal of giving the members a (somewhat) normal FREE experience!
