Rupa Budha is a second-year Chemistry student, and has been volunteering with the women's charity, Smart Works. Have a read of her story below and find out why she finds it so rewarding to help women get the best start for their careers.
Tell us a little about your volunteering.
For the past few months (before the coronavirus lockdown) I was presented with the opportunity to dedicate few hours every Wednesday to provide admin support at one of Smart Work’s office in Ladbroke, West London. Smart Works is a charity organisation that prepares unemployed women for their job interviews via a personalised styling session with volunteering stylists, and an in-depth one-to-one coaching by an HR professional or senior manager.
As admin support, I was responsible for managing and distributing information within the office. One primary responsibility, tasked weekly, was updating their data platform with clients’ feedback, which allowed them to ensure they maintained their high-quality services. Also, depending on the desk I was assigned to, I would be in charge of greeting the clients, offering them refreshments, and ensuring they felt welcomed and comfortable during their time at the office.
How did you find out about the role?
After being introduced to UCL’s Volunteering Service page on the Students' Union website at the start of the academic year, I immediately started looking for roles, specific to my interests and the skills I wanted to gain. Through that, I found the position at Smart Works.
Why did you want to become a volunteer?
This year, my timetable allowed more downtime, so I knew I could afford to take on a permanent volunteering role, rather than doing only one-off events. I have volunteered before, and it has always been an enjoyable and rewarding experience. This role, in particular, caught my attention after learning about the purpose of the charity; I knew, immediately, I wanted to be involved.
What difference do you feel you’ve made by volunteering?
My role as the admin assistant at Smart Works eased the workload of the team members. They were available to tackle other issues and specialised tasks, such as creating solutions to improve their service, attending job centres/events to recruit more clients and plan for fundraisers. All of this helped enhance the exposure of the charity and the quality of the service, resulting in more women receiving the appropriate clothes and interview skills to succeed in their job interviews.
What impact has volunteering had on you?
This role significantly enhanced my time management, communicational skills and attention to detail. It also developed my work ethic as I adopted a growth mindset (a vital part of the one-to-one coaching), which helped to overcome challenges in modules I was struggling to understand.
What’s the best thing about volunteering?
Being surrounded by supportive and friendly women was one of my favourite things about volunteering at Smart Works. The constant positivity in the office inspired me to work harder while volunteering and that positive attitude continued after work. Another thing I liked was reading clients’ feedback. They would emphasise their admiration of the service and how their confidence had sky-rocketed after the two hours session.
Knowing that women are thriving at workplaces due to the help of Smart Works, and that I was part of the process, fills me with joy.
And the most challenging? How did you overcome these challenges?
The challenge was learning to use the data platform and having to be extraordinarily attentive while inputting the data. Thanks to the friendly staff at Smart Works, I was able to seek guidance whenever I needed support. And eventually, I was able to access the platform and undertake any challenges relating to data input.
Tell us about something memorable that’s happened to you while volunteering
I had to organise 2000 black dresses on my first day at Smart Works! Fortunately, I had three members of the team helping me, but before this, I had never seen so many of the same dress in one room.
Would you recommend volunteering? If so, why?
I would recommend volunteering to students at UCL because it’s a great and simple way to get involved with the communities in London, interact with people from different backgrounds and learn valuable lessons while having fun!
If you want to be part of something bigger and contribute to something you care about like Rupa, have a look on our volunteering directory and see what cause you want to support!