If you are a student in the Society of Wetland Scientists, you’ve probably received one or two emails from me. That’s because for the last two years, I have been working with David Riera, the current Student Section chair, to grow our little dream of a student-driven division of the Society into a reality. It has been a wild ride. We have recruited a great team of motivated students to support this vision, and I am so excited that we are now ready to recruit a new chair-elect. 

So what exactly does the chair-elect do? The chair-elect's primary objective is to shadow the chair and immediate past chair to learn the day-to-day operations of the Student Section. This mentorship and coaching period will also be used to develop an initiative which they will implement during their chair year. The chair-elect also fulfills the duty of the chair in the event that they are unable to do so. In my case, I have been shadowing the current chair for about two years, as we have not held regular elections during our formation time. We wanted to get all of the kinks worked out so when new leaders were brought on board, there was already a well-oiled team with experience working together. 

That’s where you come in. Yes, you. You may be thinking “this sounds like a really big commitment.” And I won’t lie - it can be. After all, you’re signing on to represent student interests in the Society for three years. But it’s also what you make of it. The good thing about our section is that we have such a variety of skill sets that the thing you will spend the most time on is getting to know your team. Once you know what they bring to the table, it’s easier to divide up tasks equitably in a way that plays to people’s strengths while also challenging them to learn new skills. 

For me, that has meant that in addition to our regular monthly board meetings, I’ll often have sidebar conversations with different board members to check in, see what projects they’re working on or want to work on, and how I can help. I’ve also been lucky to have a good relationship with the current chair, so we talk frequently to make sure the section is staying on track. All in all, I spend an average of two to three hours per week talking to awesome and inspiring colleagues, and I would love to add you to that list. 

If after reading this, you’re still not sure, I get it! Feel free to reach out to me directly and we’ll chat. If you are definitely interested in running, visit our website to apply right away. Applications are due on December 1st, 2020. These past two years have been incredibly rewarding, and though progress has seemed slow-going at times, we are making major inroads transforming the Society to better support our next generation of wetland professionals. We would be thrilled to have you join our team so that you can also play a part in this mission.

Steffanie Munguia is pursuing a PhD in Earth Systems Science at Florida International University in Miami, FL. Her research evaluates the implementation of the Ramsar Convention at coastal wetland sites throughout the Caribbean to better understand decision-making processes affecting some of our most important ecosystems. She is also the Student Section Chair-Elect, and serves on the boards and youth councils of several environmental non-profits. Contact her at studentsofsws@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter.