Hey Everyone! My name is Lydia White and I am a second year Political Science and Public Relations double major. Being a freshman, getting involved on a campus was daunting, especially at a large school like UGA. Walking up the Brumby Hill after a long day getting to my classes all over campus, it can seem like too much. Have no fear, because I am about to share with you my top 3 tips and tricks for getting involved in SPIA during freshman year.
1. Take advantage of the mentorship opportunities available to you: UGA alumni and students are awesome and so willing to help you succeed. Maybe that looks like getting involved in SPIA’s peer mentorship program. This program matches first and second year students with third and fourth year students. Or it can look like personally reaching out to older SPIA students. It may be a classmate or person in your sorority, club, or campus ministry. For me, it looked like grabbing coffee with a SPIA senior and peppering her with questions about study abroad opportunities and different research opportunities on campus.
2. Attend SPIA events: As a freshman, attending the SPIA involvement fair and speaker events was a great way to learn more about SPIA related orgs, like Model UN, the Arch Society, and Mock Trial, as well as study abroad opportunities. Beyond this, there are so many interesting speaker events put on by SPIA with UGA professors and visiting speakers. My advice would be to pay attention to when these are happening and add it to your calendar. It’s a great way to learn about a specific topic and connect with those in the field.
3. Find balance: It is easy to over extend yourself as a freshman. Choose a SPIA organization or two that you are truly interested in, not just as resume builders. Get involved in other organizations on campus outside of those connected to SPIA and continue to explore all that UGA has to offer. For me, that looked like getting involved in a campus ministry and adding a Public Relations major. Even after your freshman year, balance remains important. This looked like me volunteering at a camp for middle schoolers for part of my summer and then shadowing at the District Attorney’s office in Knoxville. Both experiences provided me with great professional development. I learned a lot about communication, collaboration, and attention to detail while operating a ropes course servicing 80 middle schoolers a day. Being in the courtroom observing prosecution and defense attorneys was a great opportunity to get a better picture of what I want to do in the future. Looking back, I’m thankful for the ways that I was able to balance personal interests and professional interests throughout freshman year and this summer.
No matter how you get involved, I am so excited for you to experience all that SPIA has to offer and remember to take advantage of mentorship opportunities, attend SPIA events, and most importantly find balance.
