Hasha Dar is currently completing his third year of Mechanical Engineering. A self confessed 'workaholic' he's been actively involved in a staggering 16 societies - so there's no way he couldn't be a part of our Class of 22!
We caught up with Hasha to get the lowdown on what he does for each one (and how he fits it all in!)
Societies are great for commuter students like me...
I had an interest in many societies and did the typical Fresher thing of signing up to everything! It worked out for me as I quickly found my people and became heavily involved with PhotoSoc and Stage Crew in my first year. I remember planning my calendar heavily around events with free food available as London gets really expensive to eat in!
As a commuter, my first place to seek out other like-minded people to be friends with were societies.
Societies are also a really fun place to be because it's so easy to be yourself and have fun. They're designed to bring people together, doing something that everyone enjoys. Funnily enough, I actually find myself in the opposite position in these later years, having to facilitate a lot of the events and barely having the time to attend most of them. However, my role as a committee member of these various societies has seen me become even more involved with various communities and I've found this to be even more fulfilling and enjoyable!
There have been so many stand-out moments this year...
There are too many stand-out moments to list but I would probably say my favourite moments are being backstage for our various Bloomsbury shows.
The feeling of pure excitement when everything looks amazing and sounds stunning and the audience is having an amazing time – that's so unique.
I really cherish the months of hard work from our members, finally manifesting itself into a showcase of pure talent and spectacle. Two shows I have loved in particular are Rhapsody and UCL Gayo Daejeon. I’ve been involved as a sound designer for Rhapsody in 2020 and 2021 and as the Production Manager in 2022. I was also the Director of Photography for UCL Gayo Daejeon and involved in the planning and production for the show.
And as KPop is one of my favourite genres of music, I had a phenomenal time seeing and supporting my friends perform on stage to some of my favourite songs!
I think the primary thing I've learnt about myself is that I'm definitely a workaholic...
Juggling a load of responsibilities is something I find comfort in strangely and I do find myself getting bored quite easily if I'm not working or doing something active.
Being in a range of positions has allowed me to understand the needs and requirements of each role quite well. This range also gives me a larger perspective on the functioning of societies as a whole. The key skill I've learnt in running an organisation is delegation and leadership. In particular, that your team are talented and driven individuals who are willing to do work. Alongside this, I have learnt a plethora of soft and technical skills, such as Sound and Lighting Design, Photography, Videography and Post-Production.
Being involved in societies has meant I've grown my network...
UCL has a lot of talented, fascinating and entertaining people. My network has grown immensely just by being active within the various communities in UCL. I would say that the best way to grow your network is to necessarily go out and meet new people in a particular field or area, but be involved in that area as well. That tangible experience and connection has definitely played a large role in growing my network and increasing the number of opportunities exposed to me.
Along the way there have been some challenges in running a society too! One problem we find quite often later in the year is getting people excited and attending events. Catering to what our members want is a very exhaustive process requiring a lot of feedback and engagement - seeing what works and doesn’t. It can also be particularly challenging to collaborate with external organisations; they often have very specific needs, which can also change quite quickly. Being on your feet and active is key when dealing with these situations.
Hasha's list of societies:
2021 - 22
President UCL Stage Crew
I've supplied technical support for the majority of student productions in and around UCL, primarily in the Bloomsbury Theatre, Studio Garage, within UCL and external venues. My role is to lead and coordinate these shows from a technical perspective, providing insight, assigning crews and general management.
President UCL Bubble Tea Society
This is a fun social society where people with a shared love of Bubble Tea can meet and enjoy some time together! My role as President has been to coordinate and manage these events through the academic year.
Treasurer and Co-Founder UCL Food Society
This is similar to Bubble Tea Society - myself and two friends (Jamie Wong and Su Wen Liew) decided to found the Food Society to create a community of foodies on campus! My role as treasurer has been to facilitate events financially, including restaurant visits, food tours and more.
Treasurer UCL 3D Modelling Society
A society based around all things 3D modelling including CAD, architectural design and art. My role as Treasurer is to facilitate events financially, mostly workshops led by students and in commercial studios.
Treasurer UCL Coffee Society
Similar to UCL Food Society, I work to facilitate events financially.
Welfare Officer UCL Technology Society
A careers-based society, my role as the Welfare Officer has been as a general counsel to the Committee and to our members, seeking to connect and help our members.
Welfare Officer UCL Advertising, Marketing and PR Society
Another careers-based society, my role is to support our members and activities from an interpersonal perspective.
Exhibition Officer UCL Photo Society
To support and facilitate exhibitions for the UCL Photo Society, showcasing our members' photos.
Studio and Equipment Manager UCL Film Society
Maintaining FilmSoc’s studio space and equipment. This role has seen me facilitate bookings of our studio and equipment to our members to be used for personal projects and FilmSocs Term Films, Documentaries and Affiliate Shoots.
Tech Officer UCL KPop Society
Primarily filming and editing dance covers for the society. This role has also seen me professionally record and edit KPop’s Bloomsbury Production UCL Gayo Daejeon 2022.
Photography Officer Pi Media
Providing photographic media for the Pi Media magazine editions.
2020 - 21
President UCL Photo Society
Leading and facilitating events, workshops, competitions and exhibitions for society members. We would also support UCL societies and external organisations in photographic services. Primarily I would be managing my committee and delegating tasks to them. This year was particularly challenging due to the pandemic, where we had to innovate events both online and socially distanced events in-person.
Marketing Officer UCL Stage Crew
Responsible for creating and posting media onto our social platforms to further our reach and record our presence on campus.
Tech Assistant UCL KPop Society
Assisting our Tech officers in video production through editing and filming.
Events Executive UCL Engineering Society
Organising speaker events with industry for our members, including Mercedes AMG HPP and ARM.
2019 - 20
Events Officer UCL Photo Society
Responsible for communicating and leading photographic services within UCL Photo Society, assigning photographers to events and negotiating with clients.