Just another day in the life of a Public Relations Coordinator of the IVSA

The unmistakable, distinct sound of buzzing came from my cellphone to my ear, and I stirred. My very reluctant eyes squinted as I gazed upon an urgent message from one of the ExCo – their email address does not seem to be able to send anything to, seemingly, anyone.

“Help!” That’s all I needed to hear. I quickly entered “I’m on it” into my keypad, and before I knew it, there I was, face glued to my trusty laptop, solving whatever the world could throw at me.

Just another day in the life of a Public Relations Coordinator…

It’s been a crazy ride, these past few weeks! Ever since being elected to the position of Public Relations Coordinator (PRC) for the IVSA, I have been frantically looking through the bylaws, contacting previous PRCs, and asking anyone (who could tell me) about what the scope of being a PRC is, and how I could best perform my duties.

One thing I quickly realized was that all my “technological prowess” would be put to the ultimate test. I honestly believe that I worked on more Photoshop projects within one week as PRC than I have the rest of my life combined! Between forming Committee Trees, to Charts, to creating and maintaining email addresses, to creating and designing business cards for the ExCo members, I can safely say that Photoshop and I, once mere acquaintances, are now practically inseparable.

An interesting event was when I had to meet the Dean of my Faculty to report on the Congress that I had recently attended. Coming from an Asian background with very traditional values, it was fairly hard to explain why being part of this committee is so important not just to me, but to the community, and to the university. After assuring him that I will indeed go above and beyond to ensure that my studies are not affected, he shook my hand and gave me his approval, and the support of the Faculty staff. That honour is amazingly huge for a student such as myself.

The life of a PRC is not an easy one. There have been days where I have for slept less than 3 hours, and there have been days where lying in bed thinking of how to solve issues have left me sleepless. There have been times when I get frustrated, when codes do not work, when software does not act like it should, and when work seems to pile up more than usual.

Why do it then? The answer came to me at the end of a very long and tiring day, when I felt tired, weak, and forlorn.

That answer came in the form of that unmistakable, distinct sound of buzzing right by my ear again. Instead of “Help!” though, it said “Thank you”, “You’re amazing!” and “You’re the best!”

I put my phone down, turned to my side, and smiled.

With such an amazing team, and such an amazing family? I’d be a fool not to do this.