I came into my sophomore year at the University of Cincinnati as Internal Vice President for the UC Real Estate Association (UCREA). Holding an executive position in UCREA for the 2022-2023 school year was extremely influential in my personal and professional development for many reasons, the most prominent being learning how to overcome obstacles. 

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The University of Cincinnati Real Estate Association was previously named the Alpha Rho Epsilon Real Estate Association under the classification as a business fraternity. Its name was changed to the University of Cincinnati Real Estate Association (UCREA) in 2017 and it now operates solely as a student organization. As stated on the Carl H. Lindner College of Business website, “The University of Cincinnati Real Estate Association is a professional real estate association whose mission is to build better real estate students by allowing them to interact with professionals, engage with peers, and increase personal knowledge about various aspects of real estate.” The organization exposes members to the world of real estate through monthly site tours, speaker events, and roundtable events. 

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A unique challenge for the executive board and me headed into the 2022-2023 year was the task of rebuilding the organization post-COVID. The virtual experience destroyed the membership and structure of UCREA since its function is focused on networking and interactions with professionals. Recovering from the impact of COVID coming into the 2022-2023 school year, the executive board and I were working with a clean slate. We had the opportunity to define what the organization would function as now and into the future. Although there were many areas for improvement, all of us were deeply committed to following UCREA’s original mission to provide real experiences for our members so they can achieve real results. This vision guided us throughout the planning process and is reflected in all the successes of the organization. Some notable achievements included: 

• Creating a new organizational structure implementing a formal interview process for active members

• Implementing attendance requirements and currently boast 90 active members

• Organizing new communication methods by creating a GroupMe and monthly newsletter 

• Cementing structure in event scheduling and hosting 3 events a month consisting of site tours, speaker events, and roundtable events bringing in notable companies such as PNC Bank, Urban Sites, Dicks Sporting Goods, and Viking Partners to come speak to our members 

• Participating in community service helping CREW in a gift wrapping project where we were able to donate 80+ gifts to the children at the Boys and Girls Club of Cincinnati. 

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As seen through the accomplishments above this was a largely successful year for UCREA, but there is always room for improvement. Going into the 2023-2024 school year as the new president of the organization, I want to build on our successes from the past year to continue to cement the structure and processes that were put into place. A new obstacle to overcome is developing a greater sense of internal community and friendship between members. I am confident, however, that this new challenge will be met with just as much success as the last. 

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Looking forward to a great year!