Meet a volunteer: ­Elif from Build

Where do you volunteer?

"I am chairwoman for Build Local Council, and I am also in the Student Council. Furthermore, I am a tutor at Build faculty. Lastly I am the founder of K(R)EAKLUBBEN AT KEA"

How did you get involved at KEA?

“I started volunteering at KEA to get a better feeling of the education. I am driven by the opportunity to make a difference. I went to an SMR meeting, and became aware that there was no vice chairman. After that, everything went quickly. Now I sit in both the Local Council and the Students' Council. I enjoy surrounding myself with people who share my passion. I like to be in a position, where I really feel that what I do matters.”

Three reasons to volunteer

1) Networking - "I love networking and meeting new people, and there are plenty of opportunities for that as a volunteer at KEA."

2) Execution - "I find that there is great support from KEA for students to shape and execute their own ideas and visions. An example is K(r)eaklubben, which meets at PCG on the first Tuesday of every the month. I think it's great to be able to share this free space with others who have the same interests as myself.”

3) Professionalism - "It's great to contribute to making KEA a better place professionally."

How much time do you spend, in average, on volunteering a week?

"It varies a lot. It can be anything between 2 and 8 hours. It depends on how many meetings I have, and I also spend quite a lot of time communicating and coordinating with other students and Studieliv."

Have you gained new competences through your volunteer work?

"I definitely get to practice my communication skills. And then I found out that I find it extremely cool to help facilitate meetings. I am generally good at keeping an overview and "keeping many balls in the air" as they say. I develop and build on top of those skills, as a volunteer. In addition, planning and execution are two essential words in my voluntary commitment. These are also some of the skills I believe I can write on the CV, and that's great."

Here is why you should volunteer according to Elif!

"Networking with fellow students. Meeting new people and creating a network has been my drive from the beginning. I find it important and useful to have someone you know you can always text, whether it is for social or professional stuff."