I've successfully gotten so many of my friends and ALPFA members to switch to Google Calendar, and honestly, it's become one of my proudest 'conversion' stories! I started introducing it when I noticed people constantly missing meetings or double-booking themselves, especially during busy periods like finals or when we were planning our 80+ events. Instead of just telling them to download it, I would literally sit with them and show them how to set it up, walking them through features like color-coding different types of commitments and setting up automatic reminders. What I communicated was that it wasn't just about having a calendar - it was about having your entire life organized in one place that syncs across all your devices. I'd show them how they could share calendars with roommates, add their class schedules, and even set goals. The turning point was when I demonstrated how Google Calendar could send them notifications 15 minutes before meetings, which meant no more 'oh shoot, I forgot' moments. I think what made my approach successful was that I focused on solving their specific pain points rather than just listing features, and I made the onboarding process super easy by helping them set it up personally. Now half my friend group swears by it!

One of the hardest things I've overcome was the financial stress and imposter syndrome that came with being a first-generation college student at Rutgers. Coming from a family where no one had navigated higher education before, I constantly felt like I was behind everyone else who seemed to know exactly how college worked. The financial pressure was intense - I was always worried about affording textbooks, meal plans, and even basic school supplies, while watching my classmates not think twice about these expenses. What made it even harder was feeling like I couldn't relate to a lot of my peers' experiences and sometimes questioning whether I belonged there. I overcame this by actively seeking out resources and communities that supported first-gen students, like the First Gen Honors College Program where I eventually became a mentor. I also learned to reframe my background as a strength rather than a disadvantage - my perspective and work ethic were valuable, and I had experiences that many of my classmates didn't. Getting involved in organizations like ALPFA and taking on leadership roles helped me build confidence and realize I absolutely deserved to be there. Now I use my experience to help other first-gen students navigate similar challenges.

Yes! When I was Vice President of ALPFA, I actually got our entire executive board and several members to participate in a marketing trend to promote one of our major events. We did a coordinated TikTok campaign where everyone posted their own version of a trending format, but we all tied it back to why people should attend our professional development workshop. It wasn't anything huge or viral, but it was so effective because we had like 10-15 people all posting similar content within the same week, which created this buzz around our event on campus. What worked really well was that everyone could put their own spin on the trend while still staying on message about the event. Some people made it funny, others made it more informational, but they all felt authentic to each person's style. The best part was seeing how excited everyone got about creating content together - it turned into this fun group project where we were all hyping each other up and sharing ideas. We ended up having one of our highest event turnouts that semester, and I definitely think the coordinated social media push played a big role in that success.