D4SI 2021 - By Emily Parker
D4SI 2021. In my first few weeks at Queens, I felt completely out of place. It is easy to get discouraged right away, as I see hundreds of students with my exact grades, ambitions, and desires, and I compare myself to them and wonder if I even belong here. However, since joining QSIA, I have realized that I do belong here, I belong at Queens, I belong on the executive team, and I belong in the Commerce program.
D4SI reminded me of why I worked so hard to get to where I am today. I heard from so many speakers that have achieved success in business while making a difference in the world around them. I became inspired; these are real people living the life that I am so excited to begin. They shared that they too were unsure of what the future held for them, and that some of them still are. This made me realize that being a little fish in a big pond is a good thing, because there’s so much room to explore.
D4SI was an amazing conference filled with speakers and workshops to allow students to diversify their views on social impact, and how applicable it is in the workplace. As a first year with so much optimism about my future, I took many great lessons from Cindy from Lindt, as she demonstrated that you can be an empathetic and passionate person while still being a member of the business world. Something that Cindy said really stuck with me, and it was that in life we should focus on being passionate and authentic, because “money doesn’t buy happiness.” Although I’m sure that many of us have heard this before, this stuck with me to such a degree of importance because someone who works in a traditionally money-focused industry was telling us, business students, that money could not fix our problems. To hear that Cindy learned that doing what you are passionate about is the most important aspect of life really allowed me to reflect on my motives and my actions in the world of business. I was encouraged to not lose sight of what I want for the world; change in our communities for the better will always be my number one priority, and Cindy made me realize just how important it is that I stick to that, not only for the betterment of others, but myself as well.
Not only did I get to hear from the panelists and keynotes during the conference, but I developed some amazing skills along the way; I got to work on my public speaking which has always been a struggle for me. I also got the opportunity to work on teamwork efficiency as I completed tasks both by myself and as a team, in order for the overall success of the event. I also learnt some lessons and had a multitude of new experiences; one of which is that the cashier at Walmart WILL question you if you checkout with 60 tote bags. I realized the true importance of reliability, as never before have I been given a budget or a deadline that was necessary to ensure that over 30 delegates got what we promised them. I also learned the importance of teamwork; seeing the ins and outs of a conference and how it comes to be is one of the most successful events of the year. I was a part of a team that worked to create a great opportunity for everyone, and in that team I learnt what a community that QSIA is. I felt so welcomed and encouraged to step out of my comfort zone, to try new things, to learn from everyone on the team, even like writing this blog. As a first year, I was so nervous for my first assignments as a frosh rep, I didn’t want to let anyone down or disappoint anyone with my lack of experience, but the team has done nothing but continuously help me to grow and learn new skills and even strengthen certain traits; I have become more confident in public speaking since leading the panelist session in this conference, and even more confident in myself, as I have seen the impacts of my work to the team and I have been able to recognize my contributions as positive.
Quotes from Delegates:
“D4SI gave me the opportunity to engage meaningfully with like-minded individuals who share my passion for social impact” - Mark MacDonald
“I loved getting to meet new people in commerce and work together to create sustainable plans for our communities.” - Cora Ursurelu
Being on this executive team has made me realize the importance of finding a place for first years to feel like they belong, while being encouraged to pursue their goals. In my case, this is to create a career of impact, where I can contribute to a movement of change. I plan on taking Cindy’s advice, and ensuring that “if something I want to do doesn’t exist, make it!”.