Why I Love E-Board + Why You Should Run! (2025 edition)

Written by Melissa Paz Flores, Co-Director of DEI  — Call me Mel, Mellzio, DJ Melski, or just Melissa :)

A bit of an inside scoop: I’m writing this as our executive board is in a room hand-picking our newest rosebuds. Oooo aaa. As we talk about each applicant, I’m looking around the room and can’t help but think about how everyone on this board has come such a long way since their first days in our organization. 

Allow me to feel sentimental. I’m a Senior, and in a brief 230ish days from today, our eldest Helenes will be saying goodbye to USC. Even closer, in 70ish days, our 2025 Executive Board will be hosting our final event: Install Tea!

To my left, I look at Mengze Wu, my lovely other half and Co-Director of DEI. I remember meeting her during my Rosebud class’ welcome night. We initially bonded over the fact that we love the brain and it turned out we lived a few floors above one another in Gateway. A few days later, it was 2am, post-Rosebud mixer, and we were posted up in the Gateway lobby, drinking our Pot of Cha and lore dropping like there was no tomorrow. 

Across the room, I look at our lovely Director of Athletics, Miss Olivia Diaz who is also a Spring ‘24 rosebaby. Whether it’s running a 10k together or losing our voices during Gatecall, Olivia is part of the community that makes USC feel like home. 

I joined Helenes after transferring my Sophomore year. At my previous school, I had trouble finding my footing socially – I felt like there was a void, and once getting to USC, set in search of individuals who were both like-minded and had a mosaic of colorful lives and interests. Helenes, at the end of the day, is what you make of it. What you put in, is what you get out. So I spent my Rosebud semester going to everything — from Farmer’s Market hangouts, to Rosebud Rendezvouses with my class, to off-campus service events. I also met the wonderful Sophie Mei Sullivan, our 2024 Director of DEI; through her programming, collaborations with on/off campus organizations, and kind spirit, Sophie showed us DEI’s integration into every pillar of our org. And so I felt myself gravitating towards the mission of the DEI pillar. One October day after a Helenes meeting last year, I proposed the idea of taking my Helenes involvement to the next level: running for E-Board with Mengze! (Mengze, I’m so glad we took this leap together. I love ya.)

Here’s why you should do the same:

• Why run? 

  • Make the biggest impact

  • Being on E-Board means you’re in the room where decisions happen, leading activities that speak to who we are, and steering our org to be proud hosts of the University. Seeing our members find their own belonging and flourish makes the experience 1000% rewarding.

• Learn how to lead together 

  • You’ll sit at a table with individuals who see the world differently, and you’ll figure out how to move forward as one team. From Deliberations to deciding on our formal theme, that skill stays with you far beyond campus. In corporate speak, you’ll be dealing with quite a few stakeholders — each other, and our gen-mems!

• Do some ~introspective~ work

  • E-Board challenges you, from time management, conflict resolution, and finding confidence in your voice. You’ll be surprised by how much you grow!

    • You learn how to articulate your ideas better and become a visionary at planning events. My first event with Mengze was a Hot Pot night. We were in planning mode the whole time but learned that our members loved the idea of shared conversations surrounding identities and a good bite to eat :)

    • The imposter syndrome will go away - consistently, throughout my term, I felt like I wasn’t doing enough or going out of my way to plan more. In our first semester, I remembered to stay kind to myself and true to my personal values – the rest would come naturally. 

• Build lasting bonds 

  • Whether it’s marathon-length deliberations, late-night event planning, or bonding over inevitable room booking snafus, the chaos of it all brought us closer.

  • My most memorable E-Board memories come from sharing our rose/buds/thorns during our Sunday E-Board meetings — it’s a sweet way to check in with one another. 

• Leave a legacy!

  • You’re not just holding a title; you’re shaping the future of Helenes for years to come! Your decisions echo long after your term ends, and it leaves a lasting impression on our members.   

And there you have it. To anyone reading, here’s a little snippet from a speech I gave during the Spring 2024 Install Tea, where I was Rosebud class speaker. 

“maybe i’m just a portrait of all the people I've loved and nothing else tastes so bittersweet. a little dash of my ex-best friend in the way I walk and laugh. my scarf tied in a double knot for that beautiful stranger at the bus stop. a whisper of my mother and the sigh of a lover in the way I braid my hair. pockets full of fire and infinite regret like my dad or his dad or his dad. the tilt of my jaw, the curve of my smile, everything, everything is someone else. when they’re all gone, my own reflection will be the biggest ghost i have.” — something found on Tumblr

As I end my time on E-Board, I am incredibly grateful for the bounty of opportunities to lead, collaborate, and learn from everyone on my board. To our 2026 board, whoever that may be, I hope you are prepared to feel just the same, and much more!