Networking with H4H

Hearts 4 the Homeless Orlando is a UCF RSO associated with the non-profit organization Hearts 4 the Homeless International. Because of its status as a registered student organization, H4H is primarily composed of student E-board members, directors, and volunteers. I was able to meet and interact with individuals from all three groups, mainly through attending the weekly screenings. Through these screenings, I was able to ask the directors about what their position entailed and how they got started volunteering with the organization. E-board members often sign up to serve at the screenings which is how I managed to meet the president who is graduating this semester. I was also able to connect with my fellow volunteers: some were new to the organization like I was but the majority had started in the fall semester. Another interesting trend that I noted among H4H members is that they were mostly sophomores from the honors college who were majoring in Biomedical Sciences with the hopes of pursuing medical school. Because I am also an honors sophomore majoring in Biomedical Sciences as well as an aspiring physician, it was fairly easy to connect with these students through phone contact and social media. I consider many of the individuals I met to be newfound friends and plan to maintain our relationship through messaging and through volunteering with the organization in the fall semester. I have become very passionate about H4H’s mission and hope to run for a director position, so that I can be more involved and continue to network within the organization. Another way I networked within the organization was through the panels accompanied by guest speakers in the medical field. This allowed me the opportunity to speak more with not only H4H members, but also medical professionals in the local area.