• Meet the Contributors to the Article,the 2023 Leadership Team

• Marketing and Outreach Coordinator: Natalie is currently a fourth year NPB major and planning on applying to dental school. 
  
  Marketing and Outreach Coordinator: Shraddha is currently a fourth year NPB major and Public Health Minor and planning on applying to medical school.
  
  Interactive Programming Coordinator: Sara is currently a fourth year Biological Sciences major and is Pre-PA.
  
  Didactic Programming Coordinator: Jacob is currently a third year Human Biology major and is pre-med.
  
  Didactic Programming Coordinator: Jaskaran is currently a fourth year Genetics and Genomics major and is pre-med.
  
  Logistics Coordinator: Phoebe is currently a third year Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major and is exploring Medicine and Nursing.
  
  Logistics Assistant Coordinator: Trisha is currently a second year NPB major and is pre-med.

Applying to be a part of the PHC Leadership Team will benefit UCD pre-health students who are interested in strengthening their leadership skills, networking with admission representatives, and building their personal and professional skills. Here is some advice from past Coordinators on why students should apply:
 

Reason 1: Gaining Experiences and Skills

• Shraddha (Marketing): As part of the leadership team, you will be exposed to the entire organizational aspect of one of the largest events on campus. From reaching out to exhibitors and speakers to marketing the event, this journey will provide you the experience to step foot in the professional world.
• Phoebe (Logistics): These past 2 years, I have been part of the Logistics Team for PHC. I have continued to be a coordinator for PHC because I enjoy planning and organizing big events. It is satisfying to see all the work that I [have] done for the past several months turn into a rewarding experience for conference attendees.
• Natalie (Marketing): I have found that volunteering for this Conference has given me the ability to highlight my strengths, such as engaging with good communication, maintaining a positive attitude, and remaining diligent with my tasks throughout the process of preparing for the Conference. Also, it gave me the opportunity to build on other leadership skills that needed to be developed, such as creativity. Unexpected circumstances have the potential to occur during the process of organizing this event and being able to propose creative solutions has helped me strengthen my weakness.
• Jacob (Programming): I became more comfortable speaking in front of large audiences, including during in-person trainings, info sessions, and the welcome ceremony. I gained experience working within different teams and delegating tasks to achieve the conference's goals. Additionally, I gained experience interacting with professionals, including admissions representatives, university executives, and health professionals. It was an excellent opportunity.
• Phoebe (Logistics): Some professional skills that PHC taught me is to be professional/comfortable in an uncomfortable situation. No matter how much planning or how perfect you thought you planned out something, not everything goes to plan-- and that is okay. There are bound to be flaws when planning for such a large event and it is okay.

Reason 2: Building Relationships and Networking

• Phoebe (Logistics): From the weekly meetings to the co-collaboration with all the PHC Team, PHC felt like my second family.
• Shraddha (Marketing): Along with leadership experience, the pre-health conference also gives you the opportunity to build long lasting connections with the other students on the leadership team and also with the HPA staff members. Teamwork is another huge aspect of the conference team, facilitating communication between all the student leaders.
• Natalie (Marketing): Applying for the ambassador position [in 2022]  gave me the opportunity to utilize my leadership skills and strengthen my organization and communication skills. During one of my training sessions, I was so fortunate enough to have met Shraddha. She was also an ambassador for the Conference, so we were able to spend more time getting to know each other.  [In 2023], both Shraddha and I were the Co-Coordinators for the Marketing team. I tend to always encourage others to volunteer for this position to gain the advantages of networking and strengthening leadership skills but also for the future connections that you can make with fellow pre-health students. As Shraddha and I are soon applying to graduate schools for our respective pre-health fields, I find comfort in knowing that I have a fellow PHC peer and friend to lean on for support.
• Trisha (Logistics): Something I learned as a PHC leader that I will carry with me into my future is the ability to make connections. Through being a PHC leader I was not only able to connect within the leadership team but also outside the team with other volunteers and representatives from visiting programs. I hope that I can carry forward the knowledge I've gained from these experiences into my future as well.

Reason 3: Connecting to Resources and Working Closely with HPA Staff 

• Trisha (Logistics): PHC is important to me because it was one of the first experiences that exposed me to the pre-health community at UC Davis as a freshman attendee. It allowed me to see the several types of programs and schools that make up the pre-health field as well as the resources that UC Davis offers to help students reach their pre-health goals.
• Sara (Programming): PHC is important to me because I believe it is an excellent resource for all pre-health students. UC Davis is unique, and we host the largest Pre-Health Conference in the nation, and our students have access to it even after they graduate. I believe it is an excellent opportunity for Davis students and helped me find out what I want to do in the future.
• Natalie (Marketing): One of the greatest outcomes from applying to be a part of the PHC leadership team is the close connections that you have with the HPA Staff. Davis is so fortunate to have a staff of pre-health advisors to aid pre-health students throughout their journey. My time volunteering has brought me closer with the advisors as they have supported me throughout my pre-dental journey, as well as preparing me for the future. Relationships created with the staff can help YOU throughout your own pre-health journey by learning more about your intended pre-health field, have good preparation for the application process, and potentially receive a letter of recommendation from one of the HPA staff advisors/PHC advisors.
   

What advice do you have for the applying?

• Trisha (Logistics): Some advice I have for Aggies filling out the application would be to really ask yourself what you wish to learn/gain from this position. Additionally, what impact do you want to make on the pre-health community by pursuing this position?
• Sara (Programming): Some advice I have is to be yourself and show your passion for Conference and something you would like to implement. 
• Jaskaran (Programming): If you’ve attended the conference before, make sure to reflect on your experience as an attendee. Maybe this might prompt some ideas you have that you would like to incorporate as a member of the student leadership team.