by Avery Cox
The phrase, “Are there any volunteers?” might be remembered as an opportunity to participate in class, to be the first to try something new, or to give back to the community. This phrase, however small, sets the stage for volunteerism and creates opportunity for personal growth and the betterment of the surrounding community. Cal Poly’s New Student and Transition Programs (NSTP) is fueled by the spirit of volunteerism and continues to grow from the passion and commitment of its volunteers. These volunteers work to better NSTP programming, such as Open House, SLO Days, and WOW, and they work to leave a lasting and positive impact on the campus community as well as the broader community that is San Luis Obispo.
Photos by Julia Shaw
Volunteerism lies at the heart of New Student and Transition Programs. Its impact on incoming freshmen and transfer students, Cal Poly's campus community, and the surrounding community is immense. Open House Co-Chairs, Leads, and Committee Members have been diligently preparing to welcome prospective new students to Cal Poly this April. SLO Days Summer Operations Managers and Summer Leads are volunteering their time to prepare for SLO Days. WOW Team members are working in preparation for Spring Training and the Week of Welcome (WOW), training and working on committee assignments to ensure that The Week happens and that WOW Leaders are well equipped to welcome new and transfer students to Cal Poly. This work, though it may sound like it's standard practice, has the potential to greatly impact the lives of the next incoming class and current students serving as volunteers at Cal Poly.
Prospective students may be visiting Cal Poly for the first time. They may be nervous leaving home for the first time or they may be nervous pursuing a challenging degree. Whatever the case may be, stepping onto Cal Poly's campus, whether as a prospective student or an incoming student, is a sign of drastic change happening in the near future. The first faces to greet these prospective students and supporters are Open House volunteers. They are directing Open House attendees to check-in locations, to event venues, and to buildings and classrooms around Cal Poly's campus. Having a volunteer who is ready to point the way or answer any question could become a deciding factor when applications are due and acceptance letters are received. Open House volunteers are the first faces that prospective students see and can be the first interactions they have with the Cal Poly and San Luis Obispo communities and these interactions would not be possible without volunteers.
During July and August, SLO Days are in full-swing. Incoming students and their supporters spend two days attending presentations and events geared towards preparation for the first year of their college experiences. SLO Days Summer Crew leads groups of incoming students and their supporters through these presentations and start conversations that are focused on topics relevant to their start at Cal Poly in the following months. Summer Crew positions are paid. However, they have trained alongside WOW Leaders and have the same passion and commitment to the success of new students. Incoming students start to create the first few bonds with their future peers and are introduced to a number of new and current students. Stepping into a school with such a large population can be daunting and a familiar face around campus might be the key to easing this initial trepidation. The hours of training volunteered during Spring Quarter was the first step in the creation of these new student's connections.
A week before the start of Fall Quarter over 900 WOW Leaders, who have volunteered to return to Cal Poly over a week early, will greet the newest incoming class of Mustangs. They set aside three hours weekly for training and attended workshops all in preparation of The Week. NSTP's WOW Team has spent the last two quarters learning the material and preparing to train these WOW Leaders and the Orientation Board has created and planned programming and events that occur during The Week. All of these volunteer hours culminate into the Week of Welcome. During The Week, the interactions between WOW Leaders and new and transfer students are fueled purely by the want of the WOW Leaders to provide the best experience for their WOWies. There are conversations and memories shared that can create a transformative experience for new and transfer students alike. These memories, these conversations, and these experiences would not be shared with out the spirit of volunteerism.
The focus of much of the work done by Open House, SLO Days, and the Week of Welcome is on the new and transfer students. However, these programs provide excellent opportunities to develop personal leadership skills and opportunities to engage with the current and incoming campus community as well as the entire city of San Luis Obispo. The crucial component again is the want to volunteer for these opportunities.
Open House volunteers have the opportunity to be the first impression of Cal Poly for many Open House attendees. This puts a large amount of importance on their role as a volunteer, a role that is never short of room for personal growth.
"I have gained more confidence in my ideas and have watched the progression of my ideas and the ideas of others turn into a successful weekend through dedicated teamwork," said Jen Galasso, an Open House Co-Lead for the Marketing and Logistics sub-committee. "I have developed my own personal leadership style, first by coordinating volunteers and now through my work as a Committee Lead," Galasso said.
The Week of Welcome provides an opportunity to interact with the surrounding community of San Luis Obispo beyond Cal Poly's campus. There are opportunities available to WOW Team members, Leaders-In-Training, and WOWies to experience and give back to the surrounding community through volunteer opportunities.
"Volunteering with NSTP has been invaluable to my college experience," said Zack Lewis, an Orientation Board member. "As a student, it’s very easy to live in a bubble that only consists of your friends, schoolwork, and—if you’re lucky—the occasional dog you see on campus," said Lewis. "But volunteering with NSTP has helped me 'pop' that bubble and open my eyes to the surrounding community that Cal Poly is a part of."
This year NSTP has participated in two Service Days. During Winter Quarter representatives from Open House, SLO Days, and WOW Team participated in Service Day and on April 21, 2018, current Leaders-In-Training (LIT's) participating in Spring Training volunteered their time at numerous service sites. Groups of LIT's donated their Saturday afternoons to locations such as gardens, nonprofits within San Luis Obispo county, and various other sites within the San Luis Obispo community in need of volunteers.
Not only does this experience introduce its volunteers to new aspects of the community, this experience is one that continues to foster the passion with which NSTP's volunteers do their work. The hope is that this passion will be translated to incoming new and transfer students and the next cohort of NSTP volunteers. These individuals will be the ones growing Open House, SLO Days, and WOW into the future in order to provide the best welcome and start to a new student's time at Cal Poly.
