Why I Loved Being On E-Board and Why You Should Run!

Helenes E-Board was a defining part of my time at USC. Starting as the Director of PR for 2020, I entered the position naive and anxious about what was in store. I felt unprepared like everyone else on our E-Board, but that added a thrill to the experience. Being on E-Board is a rollercoaster that comes with many highs and plenty of stressful lows, but it is worth every ounce of work you put in. My first year on E-Board was when the pandemic started. The team around me became a rock, a family, and a reassurance that we were all struggling with quarantine solitude. I remember feeling a beautiful sense of purpose to know that I had responsibilities in Helenes that were essential to events and recruitment running smoothly. From being surrounded by plenty of extraordinarily unique individuals, I learned so much about leadership, trial and error, time management, and collaboration. Starting my second year on E-Board with Kathryn as co-president, I was still absolutely terrified despite having been a director for a year already. I knew that a whole new set of challenges, failures, and lessons lay ahead. 2021 proved to be the most difficult year of my life due to insurmountable loss within my family, and my E-Board is what held me together. I went in not knowing my fellow directors well at all and finished the year with a completely new set of bonds, deep trust, and a mini family that will last for years to come. I loved the feeling of picking a Rosebud class and knowing that with each vote and decision, we were changing the lives of Rosebuds forever by bringing them into our incredible Helenes family. Every “Roses and Thorns” felt like group therapy, and even the business parts of our meetings were filled with giggles and goofiness. I found my true self could be accepted within this E-Board. This was a beautiful thing, as social anxiety often defines my interactions in large Helenes group events. I miss my Sunday nights being filled with E-Board work sessions and shenanigans, and I’ll always cherish the memories of us being deliriously unhinged by the end of recruitment interviews. My E-Boards have seen me go through so much and supported me, as have I with all of them. I feel so grateful to know that they’ll always understand this aspect of my college experience and we can be bonded through leadership.

So if you are considering running for E-Board next semester, DO IT! It isn’t always easy or fun, but it is the most meaningful thing I’ve participated in at USC and shaped me into a better human. I’ve made memories to last a lifetime, and I hope you do too!

- Evie Kay