PTK Volunteers’ Appreciation Day

By Chethana Prabodhanie

Volunteering is something that we all should do whenever we have time. However, we have to keep in mind that it should be done not just to add some volunteering hours to our resume, but to serve to the communities we are a part of and gain great satisfaction by doing so. I have been an active volunteer of the Alpha Theta Phi chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) International honor society. Some of the occasions I volunteered for the chapter include the Induction Ceremony of the chapter, the Honors in Action Project and the College project. And because I volunteered in these several occasions, I received the opportunity to become a panel member in the Volunteers Appreciation Day that was organized by the Alpha Theta Phi chapter in order to recognize the dedication and the efforts of their fellow members. This day was one of the most memorable experiences I had with the honor society.

The panel that I was a part of consisted of Phi Theta Kappa members who wanted to share their volunteering experiences with fellow Phi Theta Kappa members and to encourage them to become more involved with the chapter. And I was invited to become one of these prestigious panelists. The invitation itself made me feel very appreciated and gave me more motivation to keep supporting the honor society. During the panel discussion, along with 2 other members, I shared the things I learned and gained by volunteering with the PTK. This for me was a great leadership experience as I was able to inspire fellow members to do more and become more.

And as mentioned before, I was already happy by getting to be a panel member and felt greatly appreciated. But that wasn’t all there was for the Volunteer’s appreciation day. The Alpha Theta Phi chapter also gave certificates to the members who volunteered with them on different occasions. They even gave a special scholarship opportunity and some other prizes for the member who has volunteered five times or more. But what surprised me was the fact that this member who volunteered the most turned out to be none other than myself. And I believe that I was able to inspire other members to volunteer just like I did.

Just like how like how happy I was, the rest of the volunteers who received certificates were also happy and felt greatly appreciated. This volunteers’ appreciation event that was organized to encourage more members to become actively involved with the chapter. And in my opinion, it was a success as I saw that the students who were present at the event felt inspired not only by the panelists, but also by the outgoing officers of the Alpha Theta Phi chapter who played a great role in organizing this event.

As the four hallmarks of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society is to promote “Scholarship, Leadership, Services and Fellowship”, events like the volunteers’ appreciation day provides a great example of how the PTK promote their hallmarks. By giving the members the opportunity to volunteer, they promote leadership; by recognizing the members who served for the PTK, they promote fellowship; by giving scholarships for the members who volunteered many times, they promote scholarship and all these provide evidence for different services that the PTK provide for its members.

Therefore, I can only say that by being involved in the PTK, it has helped me to improve my leadership skills, public speaking skills and other soft skills that include team work, interpersonal skills, taking initiative and being creative. All these skills are things I learned by being a volunteer and being active with the Alpha Theta Phi chapter. These skills along with the great experiences I have had so far will help me not only during my college career, but also in my future endeavors.