Sagi Sowjanya is a B.Tech Computer Science and Engineering student of Sasi Institute of Technology and Engineering, Tadepalligudem, Andhra Pradesh, who has been continuously involved in beyond the classroom activities.
Here, Sowjanya is sharing her experience being a Head of the Executive Committee of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Student Chapter. Her hard work has the potential to propel her ahead of the curve.
Go ahead and know what her story has to offer so that you can easily find a path of self-growth. Young Influxers go ahead and upgrade yourself!!!
What was your role? Briefly list the responsibilities associated with it.
I worked as a Head of the Executive Committee of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Student Chapter. As I mentioned it as a “Student Chapter”, Every responsibility and decision is taken by student members. We have conducted Seminars, Coding Contests, Group Discussions, Weekly Activities, Technical Competitions, Workshops etc. We invited a resource person and conducted interactive sessions with the students. Each Student was able to get knowledge other than Academics regarding Emerging Technologies, Technical paper writing, increasing their coding Knowledge etc.
I took the responsibility of managing the Schedules of these weekly events, making budget plans, organizing seminars and making reports regarding every event in our Student Chapter. Mostly, In our Daily Activities we used to encourage the new ideas, talents from our juniors because as seniors, We felt it is our responsibility to encourage and guide them.
What’s it like to juggle between leadership roles and academics? Pen down the challenges you faced.
Yes, there will be some situations when your presence should be mandatory in two places. I faced many problems between my responsibilities and Academics. But when there’s a will there’s a way. My faculty members supported me a lot in those situations. There are some situations where we should attend for our Academic Examinations and ACM meetings. when I explained this problem, our faculty used to find an alternative and supported us every time.
As an Executive Head, I have to deal with members with different mindsets. Each one will have a different perspective on an idea. Dealing with each and everyone and bringing them under one roof represents my leadership qualities and I got a great appreciation for that. We also have to maintain reports regarding each and everything. But I can’t do all that work alone. In those situations, I got great support from my ACM members where all worked as a team. The success of our ACM Events showed our Team spirit.
Did you also get a chance to connect with any other activity while working on this post?
As a part of ACM, I have developed quality teamwork. With that, I decided to participate in “INTERDEPARTMENTAL SERIES FIRE! THE BIG DEBATE” which is conducted in our college, representing our Department. I know it is not any national event, but to develop our communication skills this competition played a major role. As our college consists of various Departments. As representing our Computer Science Department, We worked as a team and defeated our opponents and won the cup. The winning in this Competition gave us a lot of confidence that “Talent wins games but Teamwork and Intelligence wins Championships”.
What are the top learnings, skills and values that you acquired here?
Working in ACM, I have gained knowledge of Machine Learning on which we have conducted a seminar. This knowledge is also helped me in my Academics. I learned how to treat my juniors. I have learned how to complete the targets before deadlines and how to deal with different mindsets of students. I improved my Leadership qualities, teamwork and also how to be patient which is the first and foremost quality that everyone should have which reflects your Attitude.
Do you feel your current role fills you with pride and gratitude? Illustrate how the experience gained will help you going forward.
Yes, Every student should have knowledge rather than academics like personality development, communication skills, leadership qualities and team spirit etc., because to survive in this IT Career, We need all these qualities along with the technical knowledge. My role also helped me to overcome my stage fear. I got a great opportunity to share my views, ideas with my juniors and my fellow members. I have got a lot of knowledge in organizing events, time management and handling stress during hard times. Working as an Executive Head, I have learned Decision Making. Being a good leader often means making the right decisions from which I have gained a lot of experience.
As when we talk about leadership we have a whole team with us. How do you persuade others to accept your ideas/ways?
To persuade others to accept my ideas firstly, I have to be very clear with my idea. We have to listen to each and everyone’s views and opinion. Differentiate the pros and cons of the discussions. Make the right decision which will be helpful to everyone. When we discuss openly then each and everyone will get an idea about what is right and what is wrong. Some people may come up with innovative ideas from these sessions. Convince, foster and Compliments are the most important to make others accept our ideas.
What is your message to students, aspiring to the same or a similar role to do?
Holding a position is a great responsibility. To be a good Leader we need a lot of patience, no one is perfect to do a task in a single attempt try to teach them and make them learn. Always be friendly with your juniors so that they will be comfortable communicating with us. Initially take the responsibility if there is your need, don’t expect others to do that work. Keep yourself active in each and every event and encourage others to participate actively. If a student takes responsibility during his/her education they will at least learn something which will help them in their future career.
How can we (Friends, Family, YI Fraternity) encourage young students such as yourself to engage with co-curricular or extra-curricular activities?
If somebody has an interest in something let them do it. Don’t criticize or blame them because Extra-Curricular activities are also a part of Education. Some people make think that these activities are just a waste of time, but in my opinion, these Extra-curricular activities help students to develop their practical knowledge, thereby leading to a better understanding of their own abilities and talents.
Anything else would you like to say to the YI learners who’ll be reading your experience?
I am happy about sharing my experience. I would like to say one thing that never afraid of losing. Failure teaches us a lesson to achieve bigger things in life. I wish you all the best in your careers.
We at Young Influx would take this opportunity to thank Sowjanya for taking a leap of faith and sharing her impeccable story. We are humbled and grateful, your efforts mean a lot for the youth seeking growth and development.
And hello, dear readers, we welcome you to explore the platform with an open mind. Help yourself gain the most out of the experiences and opportunities listed here.
And before you bid us adieu, we would like you to know that you can read more such student stories here.
