Ayswarya

Having previously served as Vice Chair, I had already gained an understanding of how an event is structured—from initial planning and team coordination to participant management and execution. This role allowed me to apply those lessons at a larger scale.

Alongside the Chair, I worked to make Tesseract a stronger and more memorable experience than its previous edition. We coordinated workshops, a cultural night with music and activities, accommodation, food, and overall event logistics.

Working closely with the Chair and the ExeCom team taught me that successful leadership is not only about managing tasks, but also about building trust, supporting a team, and adapting quickly when challenges arise. The experience strengthened my confidence as a leader while showing me the areas in which I can continue to improve.

I began as a LINK Team member in 2024 and was promoted to Educational Activities Coordinator in 2025, reflecting the experience and responsibility I developed through my involvement.

In this role, I coordinated cross-branch educational activities focused on helping school students see STEM as an exciting and achievable career path. I also served as the primary point of contact for our collaboration with GeeksforGeeks.

Through this partnership, we conducted an online coding contest as a pre-event for YESS 2025, attracting more than 400 participants.

I was also part of the organising team for YESS 2025, a large-scale educational event with over 3,000 participants from across Kerala. This strengthened my skills in stakeholder communication, team coordination, event operations, and educational leadership.

As a Sergeant in the National Cadet Corps, I held a structured leadership rank supporting unit discipline, coordination, and day-to-day cadet activities, which helped me develop a strong sense of responsibility and teamwork. I was selected to participate in prestigious camps including RDC (Republic Day Camp), IGC, and AAC, gaining valuable exposure to leadership, collaboration, and the spirit of service.

I was honoured to receive the Best Senior Wing Award, recognising my dedication and contributions to the NCC unit. This experience reinforced my commitment to service, discipline, and personal growth, shaping me into a more responsible and capable individual.

One of my most memorable experiences was serving as Senior Wing lead, where I was responsible for looking after the cadets under my charge. A parent once called to personally congratulate me on how well their child was being taken care of — a moment that stayed with me as a genuine validation of the responsibility and care I put into that leadership role.

I supported the governance and recurring operations of the IEEE Student Branch, helping conduct more than 60 events across online and offline formats.

This included Tesseract 8.0, a flagship event with more than 80 participants. As Vice Chair, I led and coordinated with a 42-member ExeCom, marking one of my biggest leadership leaps in volunteering.

The role gave me hands-on understanding of how leadership functions within an organisation—from delegating responsibilities to driving execution across a large team. It shaped how I approach coordination and ownership in every leadership position since.

As District Coordinator, I ensured consistent communication and progress tracking across colleges in Kottayam district regarding IEEE student activities.

I worked with student branches to share information, encourage participation, and strengthen engagement. These efforts helped bring more than 900 participants from Kottayam to YESS.

This was my first volunteering role and the beginning of my journey with IEEE. As Secretary, I was responsible for maintaining clear documentation, recording meeting minutes, and ensuring follow-up communication across the team.

I learned immensely from my seniors, whose guidance, encouragement, and example helped shape the volunteer and leader I am today. Their support taught me the value of responsibility, teamwork, and showing up consistently for a community.

The role strengthened my organisational skills and showed me how thoughtful communication helps a team stay aligned, connected, and effective.