Why I Joined SAJA?

South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) is an organization that goes beyond Columbia. The parent group SAJA supports all South Asian reporters and serves as a networking platform.

On the final day of summer semester, which was also the first day of orientation for full-time students, we were all given a chance to explore the journalism groups/organizations in the department. I decided to attend the SAJA meeting and volunteered to run for the board.

Holding a leadership position, whether it is president, vice president, treasurer and secretary, is critical because it teaches you the essentials of running an organization.

For example, our group of four put on a panel discussion regarding the chaos in Kashmir under an extremely tight deadline. Before launching an event, we need to inform the department of our plans at least two weeks in advance but we didn’t to do that because one of our panelists agreed to speak at our event far earlier than we had planned. Because of that we had to confirm the location for our panel discussion with the department and create and post fliers with the correct date around Pulitzer Hall within 28-48 hours. So it was stressful and chaotic!

Then once we posted the event on Twitter, we received backlash from the parent group SAJA, who said that we’re not associated with the SAJA at Columbia Journalism School. Nonetheless, one day before the event, we passed out as many fliers as we could around the school and near the Morningside Heights neighborhood. We were not expecting any attendees because everything was done last minute.

On the day of event, only two of us, including myself, helped out with the event set up, because the other two individuals had classes during that time and at the j-school you CANNOT skip class unless you’re gravely ill. Although, I didn’t attend the event because I had class during it, I heard that we had a insightful discussion and a 100-person turnout. The room was filled beyond its capacity. When I came out of class, people were still eating and mingling around the room. So all in all, it was a successful event even though it was done in a rush. At the end of the day, our team pulled through.

So the reason I am sharing this experience with all of you is because I want to encourage all of you to apply for those leadership positions. Do NOT shy away from them. So what if you make mistakes? So what if there’s unnecessary drama? So what if there’s controversy? It’s OK! In fact, in journalism we need controversy because bad publicity spreads awareness and draws curiosity. I’m not saying that you should intentionally spread controversy and allow drama but if it happens, let it be, because that’s how word is spread.

This entire situation taught me that as a student journalist, we must learn to quickly adapt to situations. There’s going to be a ton of things that will not be in your control and that is OK because if we don’t mess up, we’ll never learn how to correct those mistakes. These incidents are necessary to keep us on our toes and they only make us stronger.

I urge all of you to become a part of leadership organization and run for a board position because it pushes you to get out of your comfort zone and it builds up your confidence and self-esteem. Just remember when you make a mistake, do NOT justify it, address it and apologize for it. Take accountability for all your actions and just be yourself!

Being part of SAJA helped me build bigger and better connections. Because of their annual conference, an all-day event full of panel discussions, I met and be-friended several journalists. Remember the more you volunteer and take initiative, the more people will acknowledge you and your work!