By Anne Le
Universities and colleges have clubs and organizations that can spark a student’s interest. Many students will likely participate in workplace activities and clubs to gain experience and cultivate themselves in an environment with people from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities after high school.
Bianca Ailyn currently attends SJSU and will attend law school next semester. But right now, she is a part of an organization called SJSU H&A, which stands for San Jose State University Humanities and the Arts.
It is an organization where she was an intern and is now a content strategist who coordinates with students from each of SJSU’s colleges, interviews them with her team and interns, and creates social media content that many students can engage with.
The more connected she is to others, the more involved she is with everyone in her community, and that’s what she enjoys the most. She has worked with people who share her passion and interests, and who have different life goals, which keeps her interested in learning more about her co-workers and many others.
Bianca: Learning about my co-workers, my interns, all these people that work here, I love getting to know them. I love getting to know what it’s like being someone who is like me. A lot of interns and my team they’re just like me; they have a passion, and they want to explore it, and it’s good to know that you’re not alone.
Amongst many organizations in SJSU, this program is based on the Humanities & the Arts. She has been producing valuable media online, such as interviews and covering people’s stories, and more from different colleges.
Being in this organization has brought Bianca a sense of community and growth because of the connections she has gained by being in SJSU H&A and what she has learned about each individual she has had the opportunity to interact with. While doing these, she has met many friends she has grown to appreciate and value, who give Bianca another reason to enjoy doing this kind of work.
Bianca: I have this co-worker, her name is Ava, she’s a really sweet girl, you know. We recently filmed an interview, and I loved what we created together. We’re great friends. We grew together, we’ve done projects together. She relies on me for help. I give constructive feedback to her, and she gives back constructive feedback to me. Helping each other realize our potential, and I think that’s one of the most valuable things anyone could have.
This just makes it more evident that college is where students can accomplish many projects and skills alongside learning with others throughout their college experience, just like Bianca.