On November 16th, I took part in one of the biggest events J2K (the organization I am the treasurer of) holds called Dancing with J2K. The event placed multiple cultural student organizations in a dance competition. Each team was comprised of 3 J2K members (1 leader, veteran helper, and 1 newbie helper) and 4 members from an organization that had no dance experience. Over the course of 10 weeks, each group would have to learn the choreography to a song of their choice based on the artist they picked, and incorporate the challenge they randomly had to draw.
As a first-year, I was fortunate enough to be a leader for the Chinese American Student Association. This was my first time leading a dance with a group of people I had met before, which was a daunting task. But unbeknownst to me, those ten weeks flew by within the blink of an eye as I grew extremely close with the group I had worked with. It was fulfilling to see their smiles grow brighter with each laugh we had, their confidence grow stronger with each move they honed, and their pride grow bigger with each compliment we gave. Sunday nights, our allotted practice times, started to become something we all looked forward to – something we all knew would always put us in good spirits no matter how tired we were.
As the day of the event rolled around, I saw that this kind of bond wasn’t just unique to my group. Each team had formed their own special friendships and shared the same heartwarming experiences as me. I took a step back and realized that this is what Dancing with J2K was about. Although it was a competition, it was more so about bringing together multiple student organizations for a night filled with encouragement, positivity, and laughter.
I doubted myself at the beginning of the practices, but I would never trade this experience for anything. I gained some valuable skills on how to lead a task that one has never done before, how to communicate effectively, and how to promote others to believe in themselves. These are all skills that I will carry onto my future endeavors. However, the most important thing I gained was the friendships. I met some truly amazing people through this event and could not be more thankful.