Name: Margaret Macy Gray Running for: Event Coordinator, Co-Out Reach Chair School: Northern Illinois University

Major: Elementary Education Year: Junior Organization: NIU Philippine Student Association Positions Obtained:
Philippine Student Association o 2010-2011: Public Relations o 2011-2012: Cultural Chair o 2012-2013: Fundraising Chair o 2013-2014: Vice President Internal NIU Girls Rice Bowl o 2010-2012 Captain since 2011 Asian American Association o 2010: Public Relations o 2011(spring): Fashion Show Coordinator o 2011 (fall): United Colors of NIU Coordinator o 2013-2014: President Asian American Center o 2011: Photography intern o 2011-2012: High School ambassador o 2012-2013: Mentor in the Ohana Mentor program Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity o 2011-2012:general member

QUESTIONS

1. Why is MAFA important to you?

MAFA is important to me because it brings people together. I feel that as a Filipino-American there are so many connections that can be made. MAFA is one way that we can make these connections. When I was in high school I had leadership experience, but I never understood how to tie my culture into my leadership. I knew that being Filipino and American was something special but I didnt know why. When I came to NIU, I found my family in the Philippine Student Association (PSA) and in the Asian American Association (AAA). I started getting involved my freshman year through public relations and escalated since then. During my sophomore year I had the opportunity to meet many people at the MAFA conference at Marquette University. I fell in love with the idea that Filipinos from all over the Midwest could come together, share their experiences, empower each other, and have a good time!

Events Coordinator is in charge of Managing Dates and Events. 1. What event ideas (physical events and online interactive events) do you have for next year?
One idea that I would love to have would be a fundraising competition through the schools. This can be based on how much each school can raise, based on population. That way it is fair to all the schools. The funds can go to an organization in the Philippines to give back. It also wouldnt have to necessarily be money; we can do a clothing or food drive. One example could be a website where they donate free rice for every question answered. Another idea that I would want to do would be a Midwest organization sports day. We would try get as many schools involved for either a day or a weekend long tournament. These tournaments can be sports based or team building activities.

2. What ways are you going to encourage MAFA Reps or MAFA Schools Boards to make them attend or participate these events?
We can have an incentive program for the MAFA Reps or schools that attend events. For every MAFA rep that attends will be one point and every school member that attends will be two points.

The Outreach Chair is in charge of Effective Communication. 1. Describe the difference between communication and effective communication.
Communication is defined as The imparting or exchanging of information or new. To me, this means that communication is sharing information with one another. Effective communication is the ability to take that shared information and bring it a step further. Whether it is through brainstorming projects, constructive criticism or a simple mentoring program, effective communication goes beyond the professional level and into the personal. It is important to bond with the members of an organization via their interests, struggles and strengths. It is also important to get to know the members of the organizations rather than just talking about business all the time. We need to bounce ideas off each other, pilot ideas together, and give feedback.

2. Currently, there are 19 MAFA Schools, each varies in how involved they are with MAFA, and therefore, the representatives of those schools vary in how active they are as a MAFA Rep. What would your approach be to alleviate this situation?
I would want to start out by pairing up MAFA reps through a brother/sister school program. It would be a good idea to pair up schools within the same area so that they would be able to talk to each other. It would also be based off of population, perhaps one big school paired with a smaller school. This way the more involved MAFA schools can try to get the less involved schools inspired to be more involved. The next thing I would do is make a calendar with all the schools important dates and send it out to everyone. We would reach out to the smaller schools and ask if they would be interested in hosting an event, either in person or via internet. These are a few ideas that we can do to outreach and involve everyone more in the community.