Facilitator Corner: Rupesh Kutte

 

FIUTS Facilitators are student leaders from all over the world who welcome new international visitors, help organize events, and lead activities for hundreds of students each quarter. Read on to find out more about the FIUTS facilitator experience from Rupesh Kutte.

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Name: Rupesh Kutte

Country: India

Major: Construction Management

Class: Recent master's graduate

FIUTS Facilitator Since: Summer 2016

Brief Introduction: Hello there, my name is Rupesh and I am from the city of Pune, which is in the state of Maharashtra, India. I did my undergrad in Civil Engineering and have been working in the industry before starting my grad school at UW. I love playing football (AKA soccer in the US), water polo, and enjoy adventure sports to the core. I am a passionate hiker/mountaineer and love to spend time in the wilderness. My journey until this day has been full of ups and downs and a challenging one, but I am glad that I am in such a great school and with such lovely and awesome people, "My FIUTS Family". I have travelled abroad earlier but that was all for work, but getting back to school after an elaborate spell of professional life was a second inning for me, and I was damn excited about it. FIUTS has been exceptionally instrumental in not just meeting new people, making new friends and knowing various culture, but has also helped me build my industry network.

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What does it mean to be a FIUTS facilitator?

I have always been a part of the team when it came to organizing, conducting and being a part of some activity, event, expedition or programs back in India. This kept me motivated to join FIUTS as a facilitator to enhance my leadership skills, build relations, take up new challenges and most of all learn from my fellow facilitator friends the things I lack. I learned a lot through facilitating at FIUTS and made friends from all over the world. Being a facilitator, I could communicate and exchange with students from various countries and was able to know about their culture and rituals, which was an amazing experience for me. Being a facilitator is giving back to the international community as at some point of time, I was also new to the city, to UW, and wonderful FIUTS facilitators that made my transition easy and comfortable.

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Favorite FIUTS anecdote as a facilitator?

This is very difficult now!! Every moment, every event has been memorable and fulfilled for me. The summer camp was one my favorites as it was my first every American summer camp and being with a fulfilled and crazy global crowd made it even more worthwhile!! The other one is the Mount Si hike; all of us synced so well that we were able to hike to the summit in just 2.15 hours taking very few breathers on the way.

Tips/comments for peer facilitators

Being a facilitator is not rocket science. Communicate effectively, be considerate and inclusive, plan your event way ahead (if possible), and always have a plan B ready in case Plan A fails. Always remember, no one is perfect and you don't need to worry about your weakness/fear. Being a facilitator will help you learn and strengthen your weaknesses. It will open a plethora of opportunities for you to enhance your leadership skills and learn many new things from your peers and attendees, too.

 
FIUTS Front Desk