Introduction

Before I begin with my experience, here is a brief overview of the Grand Challenges. The Grand Challenges are the product of an NAE-sponsored report and encompass 14 critical areas—from medicine to infrastructure to more—that represent opportunities for transformative engineering over the coming generations. As a student in the Grand Challenge Scholars Program, I gain hands-on experience and develop skills relevant to handling these large issues. This post, along with several others, forms my portfolio, unifying my college experiences across five key categories: innovation, service, research, interdisciplinary, and multicultural. Here, I focus on my growth in service. The Grand Challenges are grouped into four themes: joy of living, health, security, and sustainability. I completed this service component with a focus on joy of living and achieved experience level by volunteering with a service club.

I remember walking through the club fair as a new student. So many clubs and organizations for all kinds of things. One club stood out to me–the Mines Mathematics and Computing Collaborative (MMCC)– and though it had a small booth, it focused on engaging students with complex topics in a digestible way. I signed up for the email list, eager to become a member and help. When I showed up to the first meeting, I found myself the only first-year member. Initially, I was just observing rather than actively participating. My first semester consisted mostly of learning about the club’s mission, meeting members, and understanding the ongoing projects.

First Year

By my second semester, I was finally given a task: organizing a Mines admissions speaker for an event. I quickly got to work over email, scheduling the speaker for our location and inquiring about a campus tour. On the day of the event, I volunteered at check-in, then sat and watched the other members teach Game Theory to the students. I felt accomplished, but after the event, there was little to contribute for the rest of the semester. I learned from this event that small things can have a big impact, and to have inspired one student would make the whole long and challenging process a success. As the semester ended, most of the club’s leadership graduated, leaving the future of the club a little uncertain.

Second Year

Although there were fewer of us, the next semester brought renewed energy. We internally discussed our plans for the semester, which included expanding our previous material and recruiting new members. We also met with school board officials, to discuss what they might be needing versus what we were able to offer. At the start of this semester, I took on the role of treasurer. Our goal was clear and we had momentum to expand our outreach and refine our programming to make an even greater impact. Throughout this process, I worked closely with the club president to make requests for our big project ideas, including another in-person event and better advertisements. These discussions with the club president reinforced the fact that organization and planning are critical for large events. By the end of this semester, we were nearly finished reworking and creating a financial math activity, but once again, the semester ended. Many members graduated or moved on, and the club adjourned for the summer, leaving our work unfinished.

Reflection

I learned a valuable lesson: no matter how much passion or effort any one of us put in, we couldn’t do it alone. Sustaining a project over multiple semesters required a dedicated team. However, I also realized that even small contributions matter and that small impacts are meaningful. If even one student was inspired by our events, the effort was worth it.

Open-ended Ending

When the following semester began, I was eager to revive the project, but my own time and remaining members faded. Attempts to gauge enthusiasm lagged, as most remaining members either graduated or moved on. It was very frustrating to see our nearly complete work with large potential be unfinished, but it is also very hard to sustain. I learned that large projects that will take more than a single semester are very challenging to sustain because they require immense planning and organization as people leading them come and go frequently.

Critical Reflection

Reflecting on this experience, I wonder if other student-led service organizations either disappeared or left projects incomplete. It seems like it may affect more organizations than the one I was a part of, and I am curious how those other groups manage.

Conclusion

Despite its abrupt ending, my time with the MMCC club was a defining experience for me in college. I gained insight into leadership, teamwork, and service, which I will carry into my future career. Most importantly, I believe our work had a meaningful impact, even considering us not finishing the last project. In connection to the Grand Challenges, I learned engineering solutions require long-term organization and planning and should ultimately serve people.