Orange County Branch Newsletter

July 2020

ASCE OC YMF

Virtual Happy Hours April and May 2020

By Darlyn Hernandez & Raul Rodriguez, EIT | Internal Activities Co-Chairs



These past few months of quarantine have made it difficult to connect with one another the way we used to. However, we found ways to stay in touch with our YMF family and maintain social ties from home via Zoom Virtual Happy Hours on April 22nd and May 28th. At first, the task of having 20+ individuals in a conference room and socializing was daunting. With the help of our fellow board members Chuck, Ashlyn, and Jazzy we were able to find a solution and brainstormed utilizing the Zoom breakout rooms feature. We planned to host one large zoom session with all participants and then utilizing the Zoom breakout rooms, assigned everyone into their desired room with 4-6 people in each room. This allowed everyone to join one zoom session while also being subdivided into smaller rooms where everyone can get a chance to talk and socialize with others.

Each chat room contained its own unique theme. We had workout rooms for the health inclined individuals to follow along with a workout video and break a sweat together. A Netflix room was created as a space dedicated to talking about the trendiest shows everyone was watching at home (Tiger King was a hot topic). In a game room, contestants used Jackbox Games to play a variety of mini games. These games ranged from surviving a murderous trivia hotel to detecting an alien amidst the human crew members. Finally, we had a Disney themed drawing room where everyone followed along with a drawing tutorial. Together we watched a video from California Adventure’s Animation Academy and drew the character Baymax together.

Overall, the diverse options available for each participant, as well as the opportunity to see friendly faces from home, have made the Zoom social events a big success. We are looking forward to further diversifying the social activities we have available for the members and figuring out creative ways to connect with one another.


Members draw the Disney character Baymax together in one of the Zoom Breakout Rooms.


About the Authors

Darlyn Hernandez is a Design Engineer at Mark Thomas in Irvine, CA. Darlyn enjoys dedicating her time to hosting social ASCE events but when she's not planning an event, she enjoys going on a spontaneous Disney trip in the afternoon.

Raul Rodriguez currently works at HNTB as a Roadway Designer. Whether it's playing arena soccer on Sundays, weight training, or boxing, Raul enjoys being active. But he could just as easily spend the weekend hanging out with family and friends to watch a movie or play a board game (Citadels is his favorite).


Advertisement:

Visit our Sponsor