Chinese Student and Scholar Association
Leadership 2021-2022
I ran co-president at the Chinese Student and Scholar Association at the Rhode Island School of Design after the pandemic. After almost a year of silence, I reformed the executive team, re-designed the structure, workflow and mission to re-activate the community and bring innovation to the club.
Role
Skills
Time
Co-President
Leadership
Communication
Community Engagement
June 2021 - June 2022
(12 months)
What is the CSSA?
The CSSA is a cultural affinity group aimed to connect the Chinese students and those interested in the Chinese culture together to have fun, form networks, and inspire each other. 20% of RISD’s student demographic is of an Asian background.
Contributions & Achievements of 2021-2022
Member growth
5 -> 80+ members
Restructured workflow
& departments
Most active year:
Most events and participation
Monthly Events
- Average 50+ participation
- Diverse themes: networking, community-building, celebration
2021 summer
NEW-STUDENT GATHERINGS
- Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen
- Average 25+ participation
- New-student orientation guidebook (average 1000+ views)
lunar new year celebration
- Collaboration with CSSAs from RISD, Brown University, Johnson and Wales University and University of Rhode Island CSSA
- Accumulative 1600+ views from online streaming
- 20+ performances ranging from singing, dancing and cross-talk
informational programs
- Podcast
-> Created 11 podcast episodes of department introduction for incoming students on the WeChat platform, averaging 300+ views
-> Later evolved into an individual podcast program <Meet Me Afterschool> - International student handbook
-> Created 12+ series of student handbooks coverng topics including living, housing, academics and departments
- Long-lasting impact
-> Both podcast & handbooks are commonly requested by Chinese international students
"The student handbooks really helped me during my application process; I revisited them multiple times and really prepared me for moving into RISD."
Challenges
Re-evaluating the value of a cultural club
- What could our impact be?
- What is the nature of a cultural club?
- What events should we plan this year?
Method
- Using the recruiting process as a feedback session
- Surveyed 80+ interested members
- Interviewed 30+ potential student leaders
interview notes & insights created by the executive team
Insight 1: CSSA is a platform for collaboration experience
A lot of first year students join the CSSA. They often don’t have a lot of planning experience.
Insight 2: three Values of the CSSA
Networking & socializing
Cultural celebration &
sense of belonging
Having fun during the busy semester
e.g. new student meet-up
e.g. lunar new year celebration
e.g. basketball tournament
solution
CSSA as an ‘idea incubator’
- Project ownership
- Collaboration experience
- Event Diversity
Monthly Gatherings
Students can propose project ideas that fit with the club’s values and find peers with similar-interests
CSSA internal project recruiting billboardduring the October monthly meeting
Standardization
Provide event-planning templates to support student leaders
Agile teams
Create supportive execution teams (graphics team, events team, marketing team) for smooth execution
Podcast
Student-run podcast team to generate conversations around academic concerns & future career choices as Chinese international students
Reflection
How can we do better next year?
Method
Focus group interviews with student leaders, club members and participants
“Event participation required too much time, could we design more casual events?”
“More kick-off events during the beginning of the year, when everyone’s still free”
“More collaboration with Brown University”
Leadership team
Create a ‘Career Development’ department
Outreach team
Seasonly meeting with the outreach team from Brown CSSA
Marketing team
Expand to more internationally-facing platforms like Instagram
Events team
Plan more low-threshold events for easier participation
