My (SASE)ccessful Senior Project

After eight long months, I officially concluded my senior project as a Communications Major.

For those who are unfamiliar with the topic, all Communications Major students at Drexel University need to complete a two-term (six months) project in order to graduate. This project can vary in shape or form as long as it involves communication in some way. Examples of senior projects are websites, blogs, events, press kits, videos, journal articles, research papers, etc. Most students in my class chose to create a blog while I chose to plan an elaborate event.

My event title is the 2017 Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE) Northeast Regional Conference. This full-day conference occurred on Saturday, February 18, 2017, and gathered over 500 attendees from over 32 schools and universities at the Hilton Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing hotel. This conference incorporates:

• 18 unique workshops surrounding the theme "Dare to Envision"
• Two résumé review sessions sponsored by P&G and GE
• Two keynote speeches
• Five cultural performances
• A Networking/Company Fair at the end

Some sponsors that attended the conference were U.S. Army, Procter & Gamble, General Electric, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Central Intelligence Agency, Marines, Lockheed Martin, and various Drexel departments.

Eight other Drexel students and I helped plan and coordinate the event. Although not typical, I started planning the event ahead of time and then adapted it as my senior project when the term began.

On the morning of, I was feeling restless, anxious, and nervous. I barely slept through the night and was surprisingly happy to wake up at 5 am. Throughout the day, we experienced several logistical issues and downfalls but, fortunately, was able to overcome them. Towards the end of the event, I started feeling overwhelmed with emotions. It was a combination of stress and gratitude that led me to eventually cry at the evening reception. The reality of "it's over" felt unreal.

Now, two weeks later, I still have to pass my senior project defense meeting, so my work is not yet done. However, it was truly a one-of-a-kind project that was planned and executed by a group of college students that I call my friends. While I may be done with my senior project, I still have another co-op left (a.k.a. not a senior yet). I’m super stoked to go to Hong Kong in three weeks! Stay tuned until then.