When Amber Hammond '15 transferred from New York University to Ohio State, she didn’t know a soul on campus. Getting involved with student organizations helped her to find a business cohort and a fashion-focused community — combining her love of spreadsheets and fashion — and deepen her connection to the university. Ohio State offers more than 1,400 student organizations for your choosing. If you need a little help getting started, consider Amber’s advice:
"Go to the student organization fairs, even if it’s just for the free pizza! You’ll meet students with similar interests and others who will be very, very different from you," says Hammond, a business intelligence analyst and social entrepreneur. "You’ll be surprised how much you’ll learn from others and especially how much you will learn about yourself, your talents, skills, strengths and what truly excites you. Every day, I use the skills I learned from my years volunteering in student organizations at Ohio State."
Teamwork and leadership
Ever since Amber was a young girl, she has loved all things fashion, so it was a no brainer that she joined the staff of Scarlette, a student-run magazine showcasing Ohio State's individuality through fashion, art and words.
"I joined Scarlette Magazine right away and stayed involved for four years. I started as a member of the marketing team, worked my way to marketing director and then executive director. Along the way, I learned how to manage two very different teams - one being creative and the other business focused. I learned how to bring people together by working toward a common goal (a fabulous gala!) and how to lead in the midst of chaos."
Networking
Amber joined the CBSA (Council of Black Students in Administration) to learn and grow with other future Black business professionals. Amber was a member of CBSA for four years and was the organization's treasurer.
"I was responsible for getting corporate sponsorships and speakers for CBSA events, so I had to learn quickly how to find and work with professionals in the business world. I learned how to identify and reach out to business experts for advice on finances, event planning and career readiness."
Self-confidence
Amber spent three months in Florence, Italy, learning about fashion design and illustration as a part of Ohio State’s Education Abroad program. With the option of more than 100 education-abroad programs in 40 countries, you can discover a new world while taking classes, conducting independent study or working on a service-learning project.
"I had to just jump right into my classes (I didn’t know the language well), learn how to get around the city and figure out how to communicate with others --all without someone to lean on. I returned home a much more confident person."
