Prudence Course Politics Year Third Been a caller for 2019- Image My first call Walking into the call room for the first time had my anxiety at peak levels, with excitement following much closely. The reality that now I was an ambassador for the University was dawning on me with every instruction given at the briefing. I knew I wanted to put out an impressive effort and have a mutually enriching conversation with the alumni that I would call first. However, I found myself postponing this call every minute because I was nervous, and I feared the unknown. So, I spent the first 30 minutes listening to other callers’ conversations, mastering the techniques they used to navigate the conversations and being amazed at their swift and excellent use of the calling team’s database. At the end of those 30 minutes I was still a nervous wreck. On noticing my anxiety, the caller I was shadowing told me, “Just pick the phone and call. The conversation will just flow.” And I did exactly that, but the first number I dialled was not answered. Weirdly, this gave me motivation to dial the next number as I was now driven to have a conversation. The second number I dialled was that of lovely and friendly alumni who had attended the University long before I learnt to pronounce my name. In a rather long but wonderful conversation, she offered me a different perspective of life in Edinburgh during her time as a student and activities she participated in at the University. What shocked me was that despite the difference in eras in which we both studied at Edinburgh, we shared similar sentiments; from the living costs to experiences in student halls to early morning lectures among others. This conversation with her made me feel more confident to put forth my case for support to her. Because she shared how university education was something of intrinsic importance to her, I talked to her about the University’s undergraduate scholarships. Not failing to highlight the role of another scholarship in my career at University and relating it to the University’s scholarship that is alumni funded. With this I convinced her to make a donation on a quarterly basis towards scholarships, which she enthusiastically agreed to. I felt quite humbled by her generosity, kindness and affability. We ended the call on such an inspiring note, with her rendering words of encouragement and wisdom to me. I must admit, I felt proud of myself but also thankful at her contribution towards the Edinburgh Fund, and her advice. Moreover, she gave me a good start to the calling campaign and every time that I feel discouraged, I remember her words of encouragement. Prudence November 2020 This article was published on 2024-10-29
