Year 1 at Stanford

Starting college at Stanford was exciting but also a little overwhelming. As a freshman, I found myself in a sea of new faces and endless opportunities. I knew I wanted to be involved in the community and make new friends, but I wasn’t quite sure how to start. That’s when I discovered Glocal.

A friend told me about Glocal at orientation, and it sounded pretty cool. Glocal rewards students for being engaged on campus. It rewards you for volunteering, exercising, civic stuff...really, anything the university wants you to attend outside of class can be rewarded through this app! I loved the idea of earning rewards while making a difference on campus so I decided to give it a try!

I started by volunteering at a local park cleanup event organized by Stanford students. It was an amazing experience—not only did I get to help out, but I also met other freshmen and upperclassmen who shared my enthusiasm for giving back. The Glocal app let me log my hours and, before I knew it, I had earned Ayni, Glocal’s digital currency. I felt proud of my impact, and it was great to see that my contributions were recognized.

As I continued using Glocal, I found myself signing up for more and more activities. I joined group runs and yoga sessions organized on campus, which helped me stay active and meet more friendly faces. I even participated in an alumni networking event, which was surprisingly fun. Glocal was helping me get out of my comfort zone, and I was loving every minute of it.

The best part? All those Ayni I earned could be exchanged for rewards right here at Stanford. I was able to transfer them into campus currency, which I used for snacks at the student union, supplies I needed for a project, and even tickets to a concert on campus. It was like I was getting rewarded just for being involved and having fun—a win-win situation!

Glocal turned my first year at Stanford into something more than just classes and parties. It gave me the tools to connect with people and get involved in my community. It certified my volunteering which gave me the advantage I needed to land that internship at Nvidia. I earned rewards that made life a little easier and more fun.

Thanks to Glocal I can see that I'm surrounded by friends who care about doing good, just like me. It's also great because our volunteering earned us free tickets to the big game against Cal this weekend!