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IBM zSystems Windsor Chapter Journey

By Jinu George posted Wed March 08, 2023 04:57 PM

  

My name is Jinu George and I am one of the two very first IBM zSystems Student Ambassadors for the University of Windsor. Though I did not know what zSystems was at the time of putting in my application, IBM did not need an introduction. Having worked in the financial industry for over 6 years, I knew the capabilities and efficiency of an IBM server. I was ecstatic in knowing that I was selected from many applicants and consider it a huge privilege to be part of an inspiring cause where I could play a role in raising awareness about IBM mainframe technologies, specifically zSystems.

After settling in, I realized that forming an official student club under the Graduate Student Society (GSS) wing of the University of Windsor would help us reach more students as opposed to forming a standalone club. Since I was part of another club where I served as a core member, I was aware of whom to reach out to, to get our club off the ground. Realizing that we needed a 7 member core committee, we got to work. By November end, my co-ambassador had led and completed more than 20 interviews to shortlist our core members. But just before the winter break, one core member resigned citing medical concerns. Though we were distressed, following a process and documenting the details of all volunteers who applied to a particular role helped us in selecting the next best candidate for the role. 

By January 2023, we were officially ratified with the University of Windsor and had our custom email address (ibm@uwindsorgss.ca) provisioned. This was a major milestone and I remember the excitement we had when we broke this news to Rachel. 

Next, we had to choose our communication channel. From my previous club experience, I knew that we had to choose a medium that's easy to manage and that can reach a wide range of students across specializations. After much deliberation, we decided to go with a LinkedIn profile as we believed that it was the easiest way in which we could prove our credibility ( with our group's interaction with official IBM'ers ) and also reach students who were serious about their interests ( LinkedIn, being a professional platform). This gave birth to our LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ibm-zsystems-windsor-chapter/ 

February 2023 - I knew that before we organize events, we needed to let students know that we exist. To accomplish this goal, we started posting about IBM events on our LinkedIn profile and on our student Whatsapp groups that we had access to. I believe that having access to multiple groups owing to being a part of multiple clubs and societies within the university, came in handy as this meant that I had access to a wider audience. This was when the university held a "Club day" where it opened the main floor of our CAW student center to all clubs registered with the university. We were given separate tables to set up. We had an amazing turnout, gaining almost 70 members in 2 hours.

March 2023 - Seeing that students were interested in IBM zSystems and the career opportunities in Mainframe, we decided to hold an event which was our official club launch combined with a session on Z Xplore.  We found a local vendor whom I knew and commissioned customized hoodies with our club logo. All core members pitched in to raise $500 to buy candy, nametags, and gifts for the games we planned. Finally, on March 6th, we opened the doors to our launch event. 

We started the event with a brief introduction of the Club’s founding members. Then, we spent some time getting to know each other and requested everyone to introduce themselves and share a fun fact about them that served as an ice-breaker. After that, we had a PowerPoint presentation about IBM mainframe technology highlighting what Mainframe is, how it works, and which industries use it. Next, we introduced ZXplore to our members. Everyone was able to sign up and start their journey toward earning their IBM badges and learning the stepping stones of IBM zSystems. Finally, we rounded off the session with a feisty game of Kahoot and three rounds of spin the wheel where we picked random lucky members. In short, the event was a huge success!

Penning down this blog and looking back on how far we have come as a community,  makes my heart swell with pride. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity that allowed me to grow personally as well as professionally. Apart from establishing the club, being an ambassador has also given me an opportunity to be a panelist and acquire industry-relevant certifications ( I am a Z Xplore Concepts badge holder and an Interskill Cloud Foundations badge holder).

I look forward to getting back to you with more updates!

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