New Experiences & Knowledge

by Akampreet Kaur

How are we influenced? You must say, “by friends, family, or even our own peers.” One thing I learned in my first PTK regional conference is that us as individuals have the power to change our lives and others. There are many people who influence us yet, if we don’t push ourselves out from our little box, we will never grow and learn new things. Meeting the regional officers in mini-discussions was a great experience to hear what they been through. We all are scared to try new things however, we must take allow these changes as they are much needed in our everyday lives.

Each chapter team had to give a five minute preparation on one unique thing about their chapter. Our chapter decided to do it on the Volunteer Induction Program that we created to help develop our fellow members transition into becoming successful leaders of our community. The program inspired and motivated our members to come back to volunteer more. This led to a higher attendance rate and it was a nice way to show our members that even though they might not have a Officer position they still have a voice to make a difference. The awards component was just a thing on the side but what we really wanted was to create a family. We wanted to show our members they are welcome and that we value what they have to offer. 

At first, I was very nervous however, with the support from my team, I went up there. We all decided to present to divide up the work and I really appreciated their support. Although it was a nerve wracking experience to get up there, I am glad I did! It is one of the experience that I will remember for a lifetime because I got to represent my chapter and share with others what we created as a team. Many chapters asked for our power point later and I really liked the whole sharing experience. My experience of being in my first conference was about learning and sharing to improve. 

I noticed that as each team presented, each presentation was better than the previous one and I found that interesting. Two of my favorite ideas that I am glad to bring back to my chapter are from the Beta Beta Zeta chapter and the chapter from Genesee Community College. The Beta Beta Zeta shared their HIA theme. Although they don’t have many officers and members, they still did so much. They used paper rolls to freeze chocolate inside to donate to a animal shelter as dog toys and donated one e-book with thousands of books to a village in African. I found it inspiring how much they caused an impact outside of their college and I think it would be great to plan an event where Laguardia students give back to people in need. The chapter from Genesee Community College shared how they keep everything available for the new officer team and members. They create a “PTK Class” on blackboard which, I think is better to share information with each individual member once they pay their membership fee. Our google drive is only for officers and I think the blackboard will be better to give access to minutes that members who can't attend General meetings can see what they missed and still be involved. The announcement page is also a great component to invite or to remind members to PTK events. Overall, I appreciated each chapter and how much we try to impact at least one individual with our projects.  

As a PTK member, I am honored to have experienced a PTK conference and represent my own chapter. It was a eye opening experience by meeting and learning from people around the region. The PTK regional conference was truly an experience of a lifetime that I will forever revere and I hope to always be open-minded to learn new things.