Rodrigo Cortez

Hispanic Organization of Latino Activities

 

     

         While being a Santa Fe student, I served as treasurer in the Hispanic organization, H.O.L.A. I was in charge of the finance of the club, and thanks to my dedication and leadership skills, I was unanimously elected president of the club after three semesters being in that position.

During my first days as president, I found out that the organization was having problems in getting the “Five Star” status, the most prestigious award among collegiate organizations. My first step as president was to identify the club’s weaknesses, which were lack of leadership and poor strategic planning.

          Before the semester started, we came up with possible solutions to achieve all our objectives. First of all, I decided that all the officers needed to know well their roles within the organization and in each activity, so that delegating task would be easier and more effective throughout the semester. Then, I made a business calendar with all the events during the semester. Having a detailed agenda for all the upcoming activities including fundraisings and volunteer activities was essential to meet our goals. Additionally, the treasurer and I prepared the annual budget to cover all the organization’s expenses. We also planned alternative ways to raise money. For instance, we reinvented how to raise money on campus. We allowed the student body to prepay their food orders instead of using the club’s funds to buy the ingredients. With this system we were able to have funds prior to our events, maximize investments, and increase efficiency.

          Once we set all our goals and established our financial needs, I assigned specific events for each of the officers. This way I managed to keep them more involved in our activities. Getting members of the club to work together to accomplish tasks was a major challenge for me. However, I developed constructive and cooperative working relations to increase their overall performance. After identifying the best students to complete each particular task, I was able to delegate responsibilities during the events.

          After two semesters as president, the club met all the objectives set at the beginning. Under my leadership, the organization received the “Five Star” status for its outstanding management including volunteer activities and service on and off campus. Only 4 out of 50 student organizations received this recognition. It is my hope that my administration left a responsible and effective legacy for future members.