Melissa Colebank
SSDP Board Application
The Basics
School: College of Charleston
Email: mmcolebank@gmail.com
Major(s) / Minor(s) / Areas of study: Communication- Corporate and Organizational Concentration (major)//American Studies (minor)
Current year in school: Senior
Expected graduation year: 2012
What are your tentative plans after college?:
Post graduation I plan to pursue Drug Policy Reform while working to promote Harm Reduction, utilizing my skills through communication/marketing tactics. Though the South will always be where I call home, my desire is to work in Washington, DC or the West Coast to build experience and gain knowledge. Eventually I would like to return to the Southeast with my new skill set and continue to promote positive change and spread information regarding Harm Reduction tactics.
Leadership Experience
Describe your advocacy skills and experience. Include work outside of SSDP.
Before joining SSDP, I was an active supporter during the 2008 Obama campaign, helping spread campaign messages and gain supporters. I also work for a nonprofit organization here in Charleston, and have the opportunity to teach visitors about the importance of historical preservation and its unique role that it plays here. In addition, I was able to attend the 2011 SSDP International Conference where I lobbied several state representatives about drug issues and during the 2011 North Carolina Harm Reduction Conference I also was able to meet with several key Southern legislators about Good Samaritan and harm reduction laws.
How do you plan on balancing a busy schedule as a student, an SSDP activist, and a board member?
Its an old saying that “idle hands are the devil’s playground” and I like to keep myself as busy as possible. I’m not afraid of hard work and sacrifice for making a true change and my dedication to SSDP has only helped build my determination.
SSDP Chapter Experience
What formal positions have you held in your SSDP chapter? When?
I played an integral role in the founding of the chapter at College of Charleston. Both Kat Humphries and I worked tirelessly to garner approval and achieve formal recognition. I held the position of Secretary from 2010-2011 and am currently President (2011-2012).
Describe your leadership style, particularly within your chapter.
When it comes to formal responsibility, I prefer to take control and lead. However, our chapter meetings are run very open and democratically, and I cherish input from all of our members. I am a confident leader in any crisis situation and prefer working under pressure to get the best results.
Describe one project that you led or are leading. What was/is your role? What has this project accomplished?
One of the most beneficial projects I have worked on was the 40th anniversary candlelight vigil event. More than just creating a moment to remember, I helped our chapter use this as an opportunity to reach out to allies in the community. For the project, our chapter was not only able to to gain valuable contacts, such as the League of Women Voters Charleston Area and the South Carolina ACLU, but through them we were able to reach out to members of our community that are often times isolated from us both physically and socially. I was the event coordinator during this, responsible for all primary contact and production.
What fundraising or revenue building experience have you had in the past?
As a Preservation Associate with Historic Charleston Foundation, I actively engage in personal fundraising daily. I have also helped different projects through advertisement and promotional opportunities.
The Board
Why do you want to serve on the SSDP board?
I want to serve on SSDP Board because I feel that not only can I share my unique experiences and skills as a Southern Chapter leader, I also want to continue to promote and improve SSDP on the National level. I feel that I hold a unique role as a successful, female, southern drug reform activist that can improve not only my community, but nationally by bringing a new voice and struggles encountered in different regions. After attending the first Harm Reduction Conference held in the South in over 10 years, I realized how neglected proper harm reduction education has been and developing new ways of integrating it into our culture is a personal goal of mine.
What do you believe are the board's most important functions?
I think that the Board’s most important functions are representing students at the national level and helping its students fund their dreams. It has been the dedication of past board members that has allowed me to fulfill a dream I did not even know I had and I want to help make that a possibility for everyone. Coming from a state with “less-than-friendly” drug and harm reduction stigmas, I feel that it is important that SSDP can continue helping every student find their voice in the War on Drugs and provide them with the resources they need to fight against it.
What are your goals for your board tenure (be as specific as possible)?
If elected to the Board, I want to expand SSDP current harm reduction allies and educational resources, continue to build support to end the War on Drugs among student communities, and use outreach efforts to build community relations to help provide support for students in high risk areas. One of the biggest problems that I have faced in my community is the lack of accurate information about drug use as well as basic constitutional rights. While the laws in many communities create a huge barrier of distrust between law enforcement and students, on both sides, helping to bridge that gap is extremely important to me.
If elected to the board, would you retain a leading role and/or formal position with your chapter?
If elected to the board, I would retain my role as Chapter President until my term ends in the Spring 2012. By serving as an active member at both the local and national levels, I feel I can bring the current concerns of my chapter and peers to the board as well as continue to plan and organize chapter meetings and events. We have an amazing chapter at College of Charleston and they are not only supportive of me but also understanding and always willing to help. My executive board has become some of my closest friends have been willing to step up whenever I've needed it.
