St. Augustine once said, “The world is a book and those who do not travel only read one page”.
I believe this quote is what dreams are made of. Everyone should get the opportunity to travel, especially when you learn everything you can on that journey. My traveling journey started with NSCS’s national convention at Puerto Rico. I was pretty nervous because it was my first ever flight and planes were a whole new experience to me. From the second I landed in Puerto Rico I knew I was going to leave with a different mindset.
I was fortunate enough to travel there with my whole officer board and our advisor, Kishma. When we first touched down in Puerto Rico, the sights were enough to win me over. It was a beautiful location, amazing hotel, and awesome atmosphere. But this was not what had me bragging to friend back home.
Some how NSCS turned an already amazing opportunity into an experience I could never forget. From the beginning to the end, NSCS pulled out all the stops for this convention. During the first night we went to all the special activities and got to interact with other people from different chapters. The next day, we had an amazing breakfast and then got to interact with other chapters again. There were tons of workshops that helped develop me into a better officer. When I went to Puerto Rico I was the treasurer for NSCS, this year I am the president. I could have never transitioned with out the skills I learned from the convention. I learned how to conduct and elevator speech, how to create an awesome rush program, and ideas on how to keep PACE a strong program.
I honestly thought that the convention was going to be boring and super strict. Although we kept to a pretty close schedule, it was definitely not boring at all. NSCS brought in RAVE! which is a motivational group who teaches awesome tips. They had mini workshops on things from social media, problem solving, and interviewing tips. This was the most fun I had while learning. All of the people involved were laid back, excited, and you could tell the genuinely enjoyed their job.
Going to Puerto Rico made me proud to be an NSCS member. It lit the spark in all of us to be a better chapter than we were when we first got there. From the sightseeing, pizza in a cone (yes a cone!), and the super fancy gala, going to Puerto Rico was an experience that I will never forget.
Elizabeth Benigni is NSCS chapter president at Robert Morris University. She is currently a junior, and has been a member since her freshman year, second semester.
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