IAM External Participation

 

Last week, I helped out with tabling and handing out MTSU Sidelines’ yearly magazine. I was part of the team setting everything up and making sure the table looked good and inviting. Since the magazine is free and only comes out once a year, we wanted to make it super accessible for anyone passing by. We had everything laid out neatly stacks of magazines, some fun stickers, a QR code for our newsletter sign-up, and other little items to catch people’s attention. The goal was to “sell” the newsletter and the magazine not for money, we are still a student organization. After all, We wanted to get people interested in what we do and actually take the time to check it out.

One of the biggest things I took away from this event is how tricky tabling can be. Being part of a student organization and trying to promote it isn’t always easy. It can feel a little awkward when people just walk past you, ignore you, or flat out say no. That kind of stuff can get in your head after a while. It was a nice day outside too, so most people were just hanging out in the sun and not spending much time inside. I’ve been to tabling events before, but this time felt different because I was actually involved in setting it up and representing something I was connected to.

Still, there were definitely some small wins that made it all worth it. We had a few people sign up for the newsletter, a good number of students grabbed a copy of the magazine, and we even got some positive feedback from people who liked what they saw. That kind of stuff made the awkward parts a little easier to handle. Even just having one person stop and show interest helped break up the long stretches of sitting and waiting.

There was a little bit of “selling” involved, which, honestly, isn’t my favorite thing. I’m not super comfortable trying to pitch myself or the work I’ve been a part of. It just feels weird sometimes. But I’m realizing more and more that in this field and really, in any field you have to be okay with putting your work out there. You have to show that you’re proud of what you’ve done and that it’s worth people’s time.

So, if there’s anything I’ve learned from this experience, it’s that you can’t be afraid to share your work and speak up about it. Even if it feels awkward at first, it’s all part of the process. I saw how much effort went into the magazine and how passionate the team was about it, so why shouldn’t I be proud to promote it too? In the future, I’ll remind myself to be confident, celebrate the little wins, and understand that sometimes you have to step outside your comfort zone to get to where you want to be.

(ps my original event to participate in fell through! so this was my backup!)