From First Event to Vice President
At the start of 2024, in my first year of studying my bachelor’s degree at Deakin University, I wanted to get out there and meet new people so when I first saw Deakin Social Club’s stall at O-Week (T1), I jumped at the opportunity and signed up as a member! I was a bit nervous (definitely) but also so excited to go to my first event, which ended up being speedfriending! I had such a good time and it made it way easier to keep coming along to more events after that like the Cape Schanck day trip and that’s when I was properly hooked.
In 2025, I was reached out to by the club president to see if I’d be interested in an executive position, which I honestly wasn’t expecting…at all. I was voted in by the five-member executive team as Vice President, which I was really grateful for and I pretty much got started straight away planning out the year’s events. The first event I held was speedfriending (the same one that got me started) and it ended up being a massive success, with around 150 tickets sold, which was kind of insane as I had never had experience running events as large as this, but I think being able to really connect people and watch people come out of their shells during the event is what really made me fall in love with the club (it’s especially rewarding watching people return to our other events with their new friends!). Throughout the year, my team and I planned and hosted more events and managed to double our membership numbers (which was very exciting)!
We also received an Ice-Breaker Award from Deakin University Student Association (DUSA), which was really nice recognition for everything that went into the year. As the club grew, we realised we needed more support, so we introduced a committee for the first time. I must admit the hiring process was a bit tiring but it was rewarding seeing it all come together! By then, we had become the largest club on the Deakin Burwood campus, which we’re super thankful for.
In 2026, we went through a bit of a restructure as our executive team expanded to six positions, including a new Deputy Events Manager role. We had 2 new executives join us and we also rehired a new committee with roles that better suited the year. So far this year, we’ve been brainstorming both new events and bringing back some of our classic ones. Since it’s still Trimester 1, we’re excited to introduce more events, and you can check out both our current and past events on the Events page of the website.
Overall, it’s been a bit of a journey from starting out as just a member in 2024 to now being the returning Vice President for a second year. I’m really glad I got involved in my first year and I honestly don’t think my uni experience would have been the same without the club and to this day, believe it’s one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and is where I have made some of my closest friends across the years.
— Alina Webbe (Current Vice President; ‘25, ‘26)
