Officer Spotlight
Elizabeth Trang
Outreach Program Manager
Lowell Class of 2021
How important do you think It Is to ‘Build Character’?
I think it is extremely important to Build Character because it allows you to develop strength on traits you can use throughout your life, such as confidence, compassion and kindness, as well as a strong sense of work ethnic. This can help you in school, work and many more situations.
What is your current HIM position and what are your responsibilities in that position?
Currently, I am an Outreach Program Manager. In this position, my role in a nutshell is to manage and make sure the Outreach Department is running smoothly, efficiently, and effectively. I manage the Outreach sheet, assign tasks to our department’s coordinators depending on their own strong suits, help make flyers for various events and post about these events in order to help spread the word about Heart in Motion and encourage people to volunteer at these events.
How do you want to be remembered?
I would want to be remembered as a great sister, daughter and friend. I want to be remembered as someone who is hardworking, caring and loyal.
What is the most valuable lesson you have learned in your life?
The most valuable lesson I’ve learned is that you can and should learn from mistakes. Mistakes don’t necessarily mean you’ve failed, but instead could be a valuable learning experience with the right mindset. Although this sounds cheesy, it’s a very important lesson I’ve learned. For a while, whenever I made mistakes, I would always feel bad about it, that it was completely a negative thing. However, once I changed my mindset and decided it was just a little bump along the road, I started to learn and improve from it.
If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Why?
If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, it would definitely be phở. Since I am Vietnamese, I’ve always grown up around the Vietnamese culture. One of the most well known Viet food is phở, and for a good reason; it’s really good! I would choose it because it’s flavorful, delicious and full of various ingredients I like such as noodles, beef and different herbs and veggies. It’s also really hard to get sick of it because it tastes so good.
What is it like to be part of HIM Leadership Crew?
Being in HIM Leadership Crew is rewarding, as you can see the effects of your behind the scenes work at volunteer events. Through the Internship Program, I’ve also made close friends which makes being a part of this even better! Because o them, the HIM Leadership Crew has felt like another family to me, which I’m glad to be apart of.
How has HIM affected your life so far?
HIM has greatly affected my life. I remember the first time I heard about Heart in Motion was during my first few weeks of high school. At that point, I was looking out for clubs to become a part of. When I heard about Heart in Motion, I decided to check out their info-meeting. After that I became interested and decided to sign up for my first event, the Mermaid Run. At this event, I was approached by some officers who gave me some information about the Internship Program offered. Since it was my first event, I didn’t think much about the program at first. As I continued volunteering, I thought more and more about it. One day, at the Kaiser Marathon, I was approached by Ms. Dy, the executive director of HIM about the program. It was then that I decided to finally apply. I never thought that it would become such a huge part of my life. Through HIM’s Internship Program, I’ve improved leadership and communication skills and gained a sense of professionalism. I also met some of my closest friends there. Finally, I learned how to help run a non-profit organization and all the behind the scenes work.
What advice can you offer to those thinking of joining the Leadership Program?
My advice would be to just join! I remember thinking about joining for a while before I actually did, but once I was in the program, I couldn’t imagine my life without being apart of it. The Leadership (Internship) Program is extremely rewarding. The program has helped me build character and gain a sense of professionalism and leadership skills. Through it I’ve made some of my closest friends. I would suggest you just take the leap and fill out the application.