Developing yourself, one NGO at a time
By Michelle Sutono
Class of 2023
BBA in Global Business & Marketing
Having joined various voluntary activities growing up, I slowly developed a passion for community service. This has been a personal getaway from academic stress and tension, and became my primary reason for joining 180 Degrees Consulting (180DC) HKUST Branch, a student-led organization aiming to provide consulting services for social enterprises and non-profit organizations. However, with minimal exposure to proper case training before joining the organization, I lack confidence in my capabilities. Topped with spending most of my semesters at home due to the pandemic, I became hesitant to step outside of my comfort zone. Uncertain and confused were the common sentiments I felt as I stepped out of the organization-wide training sessions in my first semester in the organization. With a growing number of unanswered questions comes curiosity and a desire to learn. Hence, I decided to challenge myself and apply for progression in my second semester at 180DC. I knew that there was nothing better than taking additional responsibilities that can fulfill, if not exceed, my developmental desire, which became a significant reason behind my decision.
Taking GBUS courses while simultaneously progressing into a new role at 180DC was probably one of the best decisions I have made at university. Not only did it provide me with a more solid casing foundation, I could also build my confidence in presenting, thinking on top of my feet and developing soft skills like project management and working under pressure. One common theme I have observed when taking case-based courses is the lack of concrete, theoretical knowledge you learn within the class itself. For instance, instead of teaching you to memorize how one plus one equals two, these courses aim to show you how one plus one can sum up to two and how such a framework can be applied to every other numerical combination. I remember feeling bewildered post-classes as I was not used to utilizing such a learning method. But looking back, I realized that these courses aim to shape how we think and iterate our ideas, not only so that they are more in-depth but also more structured in nature.
More than the pride and title, the lessons I gained throughout my time at 180DC are priceless. On top of the technical skills, I was able to build transferable skills such as proactivity and leadership, which are typical characteristics I observe amongst GBUS students as well. Suppose there is one more commonality amongst the people I have met in GBUS and 180DC. In that case, it is their passion to create impact in their own field of interest – whether consulting, banking, journalism, marketing, community service, or every other possible path out there. As a project manager in 180DC in my second semester, the most exciting part of the semester was listening to the feedback and seeing smiles on our client’s faces when listening to our final presentation. At that moment, I knew I wanted to maximize my contribution to the organization, which prompted me to progress further to the presidential office in the following semesters.
Though, I was not directly involved in strategy creation. At the same time, in the presidential office, I worked closely with the team through bi-weekly checkups. I had the opportunity to establish the initial scope at the earlier stage of the project. Being surrounded not only by incredibly motivated project consultants at 180DC, but also by passionate clients has motivated me to make a difference by myself. This is why I would like to continue my commitment to community service beyond my journey at 180DC. Every person would define creating impact differently, but to me, creating an impact does not have to generate millions of dollars and feed thousands of people. It can start with the simplest actions like volunteering in a local NGO on a Saturday or joining organizations like 180DC. This has allowed me to develop myself, one non-profit organization at a time.
