DOING MORE,
TOGETHER TRITON VOLUNTEER GUIDE
WELCOME
Welcome! Thank you for considering volunteering through UC San Diego. There are many ways that your involvement and participation can positively affect education, build a stronger Triton community and brighten the future of higher education. In addition to helping strengthen networks and experiences for students, alumni, and families, volunteering is a great way to stay connected and give back to your alma mater. Together, we advance UC San Diego. UC San Diego is a student-centered, research-focused, service-oriented public university. We need the experience, expertise, and dedication of our alumni and the greater Triton Family. Together, we can achieve great things. This guide will help you find the right volunteer opportunity to make a difference in the lives of students, alumni and community members. Inside you will find: • Tips for making the most of your volunteer experience • An introduction to volunteer opportunities • Advice on how to start volunteering The staff at UC San Diego Alumni and Community Engagement is here to help, so please contact us if you have any questions, ideas, or feedback. There are many ways to be involved no matter where you live, your schedule, and or your interests. We look forward to welcoming you as a Triton volunteer. Sincerely, Armin Afsahi, ’90 Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Alumni Officer Alumni & Community Engagement
What is your passion? Choose a volunteer experience that taps into what is most interesting and meaningful to you. Share your volunteering experience with others. Spread your enthusiasm to help encourage others to join you. Snap pictures and post on social media. Build community. The more you share about your volunteering experiences, the more likely you are to encourage new volunteers! Talk to your fellow UC San Diego classmates and Tritons living in your area about volunteering together. Consider your skills and build on them. You have unique talents that are your gift to share. As you participate in volunteering activities, you also build skills in areas like leadership, communication, and organization. Have realistic expectations. Our time, energy, and what we can accomplish in one day does have its limits. Be realistic about how much you can do. That helps keep you engaged and ready to come back again. Give us your feedback and ideas. We are building a community of volunteers. Your feedback helps make our volunteer programs stronger.
GETTING STARTED
TIPS FOR VOLUNTEERING
WAYS TO VOLUNTEER
ENCOURAGE EDUCATION
Thank you for your commitment to advancing UC San Diego! Here are some opportunities for you to consider as you become more involved. Whether it’s with K-12 students in San Diego’s local schools or current UC San Diego students, your passion and commitment can make a difference. By tutoring students who need extra help, highlighting the special qualities of a particular area of academics, or working to beautify school grounds, your enthusiasm encourages and furthers education and learning. The San Diego Promise. Join this sustained commitment to education in local K-12 schools. Share your unique talents and expertise through tutoring, classroom presentations, school beautification projects, and more. Make a difference and get involved today! Learn more at alumni.ucsd.edu/sdpromise. Scholarship Readers. Be a part of awarding Triton Leadership Scholarships to deserving UC San Diego students by reviewing and ranking applications to help select next year’s top students for the awards. You can participate from anywhere in the world. Email alumnivolunteer@ucsd.edu for more information. Academic Divisions Opportunities. Whether it’s the arts, humanities, engineering, science, or social sciences, every academic area needs a champion. Volunteer to organize or assist with events, speaking engagements, mentoring, and a variety of hands-on opportunities based around the areas of study you love the most. Learn more at alumni.ucsd.edu/divisions.
Selecting the university that is the best fit is an important and sometimes difficult decision for students and their families. Alumni volunteers support the efforts of UC San Diego Admissions and Relations with Schools to help recruit talented, ambitious and diverse Tritons. Opportunities to engage with students at each stage of the admissions process are available locally and around the world. College Fairs, Triton Day, and Meet-and-Greets Serve as an alumni volunteer to help recruit highly motivated and ambitious students to UC San Diego. Interact with prospective and admitted students and their families from your community and encourage them to choose UC San Diego. Learn more at alumni.ucsd.edu/newtritons. Calling Campaign for Admitted Students Call newly admitted students to congratulate them on their admission to UC San Diego and encourage them to accept the offer. Learn more at alumni.ucsd.edu/newtritons. Academic Recruitment Ambassadors Help recruit students to a specific academic area at UC San Diego. Connect with prospective students through email, calling campaigns, or in-person events in San Diego and regionally. Learn more at alumni.ucsd.edu/divisions.
WAYS TO VOLUNTEER
HELP STUDENTS CHOOSE UC SAN DIEGO
WAYS TO VOLUNTEER
HELP SHAPE CAREERS BY SHARING YOUR STORY
The transition from college to the working world is a big one. By sharing your career experience with others, you help connect the dots from the classroom to the work place. Whether your career journey has been a straight shot or taken surprising twists and turns, your insights will help to shape the next generation of working professionals. Alumni Advisor. The Alumni Advisor Network is a powerful online platform that allows UC San Diego students to connect 1:1 with alumni to help them along their intellectual and professional journey through career conversations, rĂŠsumĂŠ critiques, and mock interviews. Sign up at ucsd.evisors.com. The Basement. Help entrepreneurial students initiate and take their companies to the next level. Serve as a mentor for teams or offer presentations on the skills these Triton innovators will need the most. Learn more at ucsdbasement.com Information Session Host. Hold an information session to get in touch with a targeted group of students. An Employer Concierge will assist with student check-in and provide any logistical and marketing assistance you may need for the event. Email hireucsd@ucsd.edu for more information. Career Expert. Working with the Career Services Center on campus, participate in career panels, networking events, and other career events designed to strategically connect students with alumni in their fields of interest. Email alumnivolunteer@ucsd.edu for more information.
UC San Diego’s traditions are important milestones in the collegiate journey. Having UC San Diego alumni and community members involved in these events supports students’ journeys and brings us closer as a Triton family. Summer Send-Offs. For more than 20 years, regional alumni clubs have hosted annual Summer Send-Offs for incoming Tritons. New students meet UC San Diego alumni and hear tales of surf, sun and studies. This is a special day for incoming students and their families and a rewarding experience for alumni volunteers. Help plan and attend Summer Send-Offs, scheduled across the U.S. every summer. Email alumnivolunteer@ucsd.edu to learn more. Convocation. In September, we celebrate the journey of our newest students and invite you to join us for Convocation, the inaugural academic event of the year. Share your personal Triton experience in person or online (#UCSDConvocation2015). Email alumnivolunteer@ucsd.edu to learn more. Commencement. In June, join us as we celebrate the transition of our current students into alumni at the culminating academic event of the year. Help welcome our newest graduates and their families here in San Diego or send a congratulatory greeting from afar (#UCSDCommencement2016). Email alumnivolunteer@ucsd.edu to learn more.
WAYS TO VOLUNTEER
BE A PART OF UC SAN DIEGO TRADITIONS!
WAYS TO VOLUNTEER
LEAD THE WAY
UC San Diego relies on the experience and passion of its alumni and community members as important partners in shaping future leaders. Members of campus boards and councils draw upon their experience and expertise to help guide decisionmaking for the future, and student life experiences. Divisional and Department Boards. Academic divisions and campus departments offer unique opportunities to advise university leadership and serve as champions. Roles vary but focus on advancing UC San Diego by increasing visibility of the research and initiatives within that unique area to grow the alumni network and influence. Learn more at alumni.ucsd.edu/divisions. UCSD Alumni Board of Directors. Directors include alumni representing various industries, backgrounds and from five decades of graduating classes. The Board oversees the strategic development of UCSD Alumni programs and initiatives that advance UC San Diego in communities around the world. The Board is also committed to raising scholarships for ambitious and motivated students. Learn more at information, email alumnivolunteer@ucsd.edu. Regional Club and Affinity Leaders. UCSD Alumni Regional Clubs help alumni connect to each other and the university with opportunities for service, social and professional networking. Regional alumni clubs host career networking nights, lectures, community service activities, sporting events, family picnics, mixers and much more. There are more than 25 clubs around the world. Our club leaders are invaluable members of our Triton community. Their hard work and dedication help to promote the mission of UC San Diego and Triton pride. UC San Diego alumni have also formed groups based on profession, area of study, culture, and other interests. Learn moreat alumni.ucsd.edu/community.
WAYS TO VOLUNTEER
TRITONS ANYWHERE
CAMPUS PARTNERS
Regional Connector. Do you live in an area with no formal alumni club? You can still stay connected! Volunteer as a regional champion to act as a contact whose knowledge of the city/region may help in planning UC San Diego visits and events.
UC San Diego Health System. Volunteer to assist personnel in their activities of patient care, education, and research. The role of volunteers is not to replace, but to supplement the regular professional staff, freeing them to provide the highest quality of patient care. Learn more here: health.ucsd.edu
You can be a contact for college fairs or other admissions activities in the area, and serve as a connector for companies or alumni in the area. Help build emerging Triton networks and continue to be a social media champion no matter where you are. Email alumnivolunteer@ucsd.edu. Social Media Insider. Do you dream in hashtags? Does getting new followers make your day? Help spread the word about UC San Diego and engage fellow Tritons by becoming a social media insider. This is a great opportunity to grow your own network and connect with other alumni by liking, sharing and joining the conversation on the UCSD Alumni’s social media pages. Email alumnivolunteer@ucsd.edu.
Preuss School. Volunteer tutors and mentors play a significant role in student success: Learn more at preuss.ucsd.edu Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Help visitors from around the world discover the wonders of the ocean. Inspire conservation and showcase the groundbreaking research at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Learn more at aquarium.ucsd.edu. Volunteer50. Join students, alumni, staff and community members as they volunteer together on campus and around San Diego to promote a culture of volunteerism. Volunteer50.ucsd.edu
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