SDSU-IV Associated Student Council retreat
Being surrounded by people you do not recognize, in an area you are not familiar with, can be pretty intimidating. This is how we, San Diego State University-Imperial Valley Campus Associated Student Council, felt walking into a weekend learning about each other as leaders. We were invited by the Associated Student Council by SDSU’s main campus to join this retreat, to complete workshops, and become involved in activities to better prepare us for the school year. Many of us were nervous to meet new people, and others jumped from pure excitement. We were invited to attend this retreat in Julian with their council that consisted of more than 60 students. When arriving we kept thinking to ourselves, “We are so different.”
We were a smaller council, from a different location, with different perspectives. We thought these next three days simply wouldn’t be successful. But after separating ourselves, and opening up to one another, we realized just how alike we all are.
We noticed that just like us, they come from different areas or towns. I met an Aztec from main campus who came from Canada, and another who came from Washington D.C., just to join SDSU’s business program. I met council members who came from Oregon, or even India just to pursue their graduate degree in computer engineering.
This is when I realized they are just like us.
They come from different places and backgrounds just like we do. We come from towns like Brawley, or El Centro and even the Julian area just to attend a great local campus like ours, and knowing this made the bonding experience easier.
We were also quick to realize that our goals for both of our campuses are exactly the same. We want to be the voice our students share. We want to hear their problems, and find solutions to them. We want to involve them more into our AS activities. We want them to feel safe in a protected environment. But most of all, we want them to have fun, experiencing their lives as Aztec students.
We, both campuses, all plan to have a fun and successful school year, and spending a weekend in Julian helped both campuses bond and share that experience. We are all Aztec leaders, who want to make changes, and we realized that we cannot do this alone, so we are planning to lean on our council to make this happen.
Changes are bound to be made, but changes that can only help our campus succeed and grow. Pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone on this retreat, is something that helped us realize that, and this is something we are definitely going to keep pursuing for the enhancement of our Imperial Valley campus.
My name is Alyssa Valdez and I am the ASC secretary at SDSU-IV Campus. My fellow council members and I had the experience of a lifetime during the annual Associated Student council retreat. In the short amount of time I was there I was granted the opportunity and guidance to realize who I really was, not only as a person, but as a leader as well.
I was lucky enough to experience this with some of the most creative, nicest, and ambitious people I have ever met. San Diego State University main campus was very welcoming and gracious towards us the entire retreat, and by the end of those three days I could honestly say that each and every one of them are my friends. To be able to collaborate and set year-long goals with people who have the student’s best interest in mind was liberating and fascinating to be a part of.
At this retreat my fellow leaders and I learned that stepping out of your comfort zone is necessary for progress. That is what we did at the retreat, we all stepped out of our comfort zones and thought of new and exciting new ways to help support our SDSU students, both at Imperial Valley campus and main campus San Diego.
Most of all we learned that working together and listening to understand, rather than listening to respond is crucial when seeking change. I am truly honored that I was able to be a part of this experience. This retreat changed my perspective on not only myself, but on being a leader as well, and I am ever so grateful for experiencing this with such gracious and sincere people.