Cal Rotaract is a club full of selfless, diverse, and accomplished individuals. Each member contributes to the club in their own unique way, whether it be through service, fellowship, or support. We would like to highlight some of the stories and accomplishments of some of our Rotaract members through this semesters edition of Humans of Cal Rotaract. We hope you are able to learn more about these extraordinary individuals through their experiences listed down below.
Humans of Cal Rotaract
Evelyn Joo
Sophomore | Psychology
I joined because I was looking for a fellowship as well as an opportunity to explore volunteering in a new community!
What is your favorite memory/aspect of Rotaract?
Spring 2022 Stayover was such a memorable event and I think it’s an amazing experience for both the high schoolers as well as for the Rotaract members that worked so hard to put it together. Celebrating together at the spring banquet afterward was a reward to be cherished too. Super looking forward to involving myself in it more this semester!
What skills have you gained from Rotaract?
I feel as if I’ve definitely gained confidence in stepping outside of my comfort zone and really familiarizing myself with the community by participating in volunteering events!
I was frying something but then a nearby newspaper strip caught on fire
Alumni of Cal Rotaract
Nola Vu | South San Francisco, CA
Year Graduated: 2022
Major: MCB and Public Health
Please describe your profession or your career goals.
Alas, I'm one of the Rotaract premeds. I'm currently in my gap year(s) before applying to medical school, just dabbling in this and that.
What was your involvement in Rotaract?
The first semester I joined, I was a historian intern. The second semester, a historian officer. The third (and fourth), an exec. It's still kind of crazy to me how this happened but it's also very representative of how the more time I spent with the club, the more I began to have experiences that were crucial to my personal growth in college. I absolutely adored all the committees, having been involved in each one in some capacity throughout my seven semesters in Rotaract, and also proudly found my family with the Pardees.
How has Rotaract helped you professionally?
Rotaract has instilled invaluable leadership and management skills that I have been asked about countless times in interviews. It has given me so many different answers to the "Tell me about a time when..." questions. It has gifted me my biggest supporters and it has uncovered the resilience and grit I never knew I had within me.
What is the biggest takeaway/ skills you've learned from your Rotaract experience?
Overall, I can confidently say that Rotaract helped me to find my personal limits and to push them even further. I have faced many challenging conflicts and interpersonal quarrels during my time with Rotaract, but have nevertheless either tried, failed, or succeeded to adapt to them. All of them have given me a better understanding of what I excel at and what I can work on, which will prove priceless regardless of where my life takes me. Also, I can go *click click* when given a camera (shoutout to Dylan for teaching me how).
What is your favorite Rotaract memory?
Some of my favorite memories are of bringing people into the Rotaract community. As someone who is perpetually shy, I know how much it sucks to feel like you're being unintentionally excluded and pushed off to the side (especially at those unbearably awkward beginning-of-the-semester information sessions). Therefore, it always meant a lot to me when someone I talked to at tabling or GM #1 would subsequently attend events thereafter and find their "home away from home" at Rotaract. In some ways, I think it healed a younger version of myself that was always afraid that I wouldn't fit in anywhere at Berkeley.
What is your favorite joke to tell or prank you've done?
Not my favorite joke, but TikTok humor is elite to me right now (don't come at me).
What is the funniest way you have been injured?
When I was 5 years old, I decided it would be fun if I sat on my chair with my stomach instead of my butt (it doesn't have to make sense, I was 5 years old). So it flipped over and landed on my nose. I was in so much shock that I just started laughing (hence, why it was "funny"). Now I have a fun permanent scar on my nose as a reminder of why we sit on chairs with our butts and not our stomachs.