When members of the Pace community initially heard of the university's very first "mock election," they had a hard time believing it was the work of a first-year undecided student like myself. Most didn't think I was capable of taking on such a large-scale project, but through careful planning, time management, hard work and dedication, the event went off without a hitch, and my experience is one that I would not trade for any other.

The goal of this mock presidential election was simple: to collect statistical data from members of the Pace community and compare the university results with local trends after the November 6th election. The survey would consist of three main parts:

1. Pace University statistics (e.g., school or department, residence hall)
2. Personal statistics (e.g., age, marital status, gender, race, ethnicity)
3. Presidential vote (Democrat, Republican, or Independent)

I went to work creating an event proposal, which included setup requirements, all necessary materials, and a step-by-step plan of action for the event, as well as an event flyer and mock-up spreadsheets. I brought my idea to the Office of Student Development and Campus Activities, and with the help of the Office Director, Rachel Carpenter, my idea became a reality.

I spent the next month in meetings, finalizing event plans and details, creating flyers, and spreading the word about Pace University's first mock election. It was no easy task, especially when it came to joining forces with other clubs and organizations, like Pace's Political Action Committee. Just days before the event was scheduled to take place, there was even a name change! We called it "Pace Decides 2012" and it was to take place over the course of two days. I acquired iPads from the university's Educational Media department for the surveys, as well as authentic voting booths for the Election Center in Pace's very own Kessel Student Center.

On October 24th, Pace Decides 2012 took place from 12 - 7 PM, where I sat with a number of volunteers, "registering" students, faculty, and staff, directing them to the voting booths to "cast their vote" for the United States president. We resumed voting at noon the next day. Members of the Pace community gathered in the Election Center when the booths closed at 5 PM on October 25th to hear the news that Pace University had elected Barack Obama as the president of the United States.

From the online survey, I gathered all of my statistical data, and after the election takes place on November 6th and the trends are released, I will be able to compare my university's results with the rest of the nation's and see how we stacked up with the rest of our country.

Pace Decides 2012 was the first of many projects I hope to take on and complete during my academic career at Pace University. This large-scale project gave me event planning skills, in addition to strengthening my time management and communication skills. This was, by far, one of the most rewarding experiences in my entire life. I, an undecided first-year student at Pace University, created, planned, and organized one of the university's most significant events to date.

On December 12th, 2012, I successfully transitioned from Tier 1 to Tier 2 of the Setters Leadership Program. For this transition, I was required to prepare 1) a posterboard displaying all that I had learned in my first semester as an SLP scholar, 2) a small speech to give those who asked about my posterboard, and 3) a 5-7 minute presentation about my experience in the Leadership Program thus far.

Indeed, this was a lot of work, and it did not alleviate any of the stress I had already accrued in the wake of final exams and presentations, but it was well worth it. I was given the opportunity to analyze my growth in the leadership process. I recognized my initial weaknesses (e.g., poor listening skills, an inability to incorporate others ideas and beliefs with my own) and how I have improved on these weaknesses. I find myself more able to listen to others because I have truly recognized that each individual opinion is significant. If one wants to have a well-rounded perspective and become a true global citizen, one must listen to the ideas and beliefs of others. My strengths will always differ from someone else's, and I used to view this as a negative.

Not anymore.

I've found that others' ideas are just as--if not more--useful than my own in the decision-making process. My way of thinking will always be narrow-minded once you consider all the different ideas that exist. I find myself more well-rounded, and more of an individual leader after my first semester in the leadership program. I am incredibly excited to see what the second tier--leadership within the group--has in store for me.

Click to view my final presentation.