2017 Flint Service Trip

In 2017, I had a really bad year mentally, socially, and academically. Toward the end of the year, I received an email that stated that my LEAD Team got shut down and if I didn’t attend a Flint Service Trip then I would be on probation for my scholarship. After everything else I had going on, I’m going to be honest, I went into this with a really negative attitude. I had to take a day out of my busy schedule to attend a service trip that had no prior planning or knowledge of. During the trip, it was very unorganized and the leaders were in the dark on everything by the organizers. I tried to turn my attitude around and it wasn’t until we finally began volunteering I realized that my small issues and annoyances were so miniscule compared to the conditions and challenges that face everyday people of Flint. The water crisis is still happening, homelessness is increasing, crime is evident, and there wasn’t much being done to help. Prior to this trip, I knew that I would be interning in Flint for the summer but I never have been there before. It opened my mindset to what exactly I would be working in. Since I was working with law enforcement, I knew that I had to be out in the field and now I have a preface of what type of atmosphere I would be working in. I learned that I need to keep a positive mindset even in the darkest of times and think of everyday as a fresh start. It turned out to be exactly what I needed at that time in my life. 

Community Relations

As VP of Administration and EVP of the Panhellenic Council, I got the opportunity to sit on a group of people who consisted of students and community members to talk about issues that we have with the Mt. Pleasant community and how students are hindering or helping them. I got to represent the Greek Community during these talks and inputted in matters that concerned us. With the growing dislike of Greek Life all around the nation, this was a challenging task. We discussed and identified the miscommunications and the expectations that were of Greeks. Later in meetings we tried to create events to attempt to mend our two sides. We met with city officers, Greeks, and law enforcement and decided that the first step would to create community service opportunities and events that could bring us together on a good note. We planned on continuing our Greeks Clean the Streets with once a year celebrations that included the community and students to improve relations. We also have been sending students to city commission meetings and we have been in the works of creating a welcome back to school celebration downtown and inviting community members.

Panhellenic Council

Over the past two years, I have had the opportunity to serve on the Panhellenic Council Executive Board as VP of Administration and now Executive Vice President. This board oversees the sorority side of the Greek Community. It consists of 11 positions of women from different chapters from our campus. In my current position of EVP, I have many roles I need to fulfill. The main part of my position is that I look over all chapter representatives and liaison positions as well as being the right hand women to the president. I have learned how to effectively communicate with women in different organizations other than my own as well as ensuring they are in the light on all events we have going on as a community.With the liaison positions, I have had to figure out the most efficient way to fill positions with the best position holder. Along with the responsibilities of those, I am in charge of the legislative and judicial parts of this council. With that, I have learned that the best way to look at bylaws and potential changes is to have meetings with the chapter representatives to hear their voices on behalf of their chapters and make appropriate changes from there. The most challenging part of this position has been the judicial side. There have been many instances where I need to seperate my friend side from my professional side in order to properly go through judicial hearings. Overall with this position, I have learned that the most important part is the teamwork within this council. We have had many obstacles to overcome from what media portrays from internal concerns. Without coming together and working off of each others strengths, we would not have been as successful as we have been.

 

Seth’s Blog to Mine

As I was reading through Seth’s Blog, I came across a short post that made a big impact on me.

Something as simple as a couple words about a comfort zone made me stop and really think.

We are always saying “leadership is stepping out of your comfort zone”. I thought to myself, do I really challenge myself to do that every day like I should? Not just getting a different bagel at Einstein Bros Bagle’s every Tuesday and Thursday after GEO 105 with a friend or talking to different people more often, but really challenging myself.

So I thought more about how I can push myself out of my comfort zone every day.

I am starting a new goal to be better every day and it’s to do at least one thing out of my comfort zone every day. I don’t know what I am going to do each day, but I hope it pushes me to be a better person and make gain more experiences.

The Fred Factor

In LDR 100, we had to read a book about the Fred Factor (link to a short clip attached). It was about a guy who took his job to the extreme and always went out of his way for everyone. We were challenged to create a group project where we had to be Freds. My group took the approach to a personal level. We each read the book and challenged someone else to do the same then pass it on.

I chose to give it to one of my younger sisters, Elena. Even though she is younger than I am, I really look up to her. She is intelligent, healthy, strong, open-minded, and beautiful on the inside and out. She inspires me to be a better person and I knew that the Fred Factor would inspire her.

Currently, she is finding her way in high school. She is a part of the dance team, student leadership, and track & field. She is planning on joining the LIFT program in the fall where she gets to me a mentor to students in her high school’s special education program. I couldn’t be prouder of the impact that she is making on her school and community.

Elena and I when we were on the dance team together.

Connections Conference

Being a Leadership Advancement Scholar, I got the opportunity to travel to Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City, MI during my first semester. This was my first formal conference I have ever attended. In the past I have been to conferences where we got to dress in crazy costumes or all out in school spirit. Here I got to dress up and learn how to present myself professionally. I went to sessions that I felt I needed to improve my leadership style the most. I attended a session that was about how to manage time and add more to my plate effectively, how to include people in the group once I’m in it, and how to perform well in a job interview. Over all the point of the conference was to make connections with people around campus. I got the chance to meet people and see mutual friends! It was very interesting to see how everyone is connected in some way.

One of my roommates and I at the Connection Dinner.

Two of my Alpha Sigma Tau sorority sisters and I.

A friend and fellow Leadership Advancement Scholar from high school and I.

In addition to going to sessions to improve personal development, my LAS cohort had the chance to bond in our own sessions, rooming with one another, and going to the waterpark. We know that we are far from perfect, but we also know that each one of us will put in the effort to improve and become the best that we can be. We see room for improvement instead of the bad and we see inspiring in the good. I couldn’t imagine sharing this experience with a different group of individuals. (Side note, I won the Connections Instagram Challenge and got a Leadership Institute cup. I couldn’t be more excited).

My Leadership Advancement Cohort!

Mentor/Mentee Retreat 2014

Fall 2014 I got the opportunity to go on a retreat to Eagle Village with my cohort, my mentor, and her cohort. For one weekend, we got to leave campus and stay overnight. We got to do a high ropes course, positive/negative reinforcement activities, fun games with everyone, sit around a campfire and share personal stories, and bond as a group of 80+ CMU student leader and Leadership Advancement Scholars.

My roommates and I feat. Dan Gaken.

My MASC/MAHS Leadership Camp friends.

My favorite part about the weekend was that I got to spend time with my mentor, Kim, and really get to know her. I look up to her so much with everything she has been through and what she has done to contribute to the campus. I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor!

My mentor Kim and I!

Kim and I with the Leadership Institute sign.

I do not only look up to Kim though, I realized that I have a group of leaders surrounding me who have all accomplished so much and have great futures ahead. There is something that I can learn from each one of them and I can’t wait to get to know everyone a lot better. I can honestly say that choosing to go to Central Michigan University and accepting the Leadership Advancement Scholarship is one of the best choices I have ever made. It brought be to a group of amazing, inspirational people who I get to be surrounded around everyday.

The 2013 and 2014 Leadership Advancement Scholar Cohorts.

The Alpha Leadership Experience

One of the first things I signed up for on campus was for Alpha Lead. I wanted to meet more students around campus that cared about growing and learning to be a student leader. I randomly got placed in the most amazing group with the best facilitators. From the first day, we learned everyone’s names, worked together, and laughed as a group. I don’t know what exactly made our group click so easily, but it made me very excited to come back each Thursday for five weeks. It was a great transition in the beginning of the year from Leadership Safari to real classes and coursework. Being on the Green Machine Alpha Team gave me the chance to become closer with one of my roommates, a couple of girls in my cohort, and students I got to meet from around campus. I really liked that it was a mixture of student leaders from around campus because I got to find connections that I wouldn’t have without it. Also, I enjoyed that we got to meet once a week for five weeks so we had time to reflect on what we learned and it wasn’t all crammed into a consecutive session. I saw my group connect and work together most when we had to use ropes to bring a ball from one side of the room to another. It challenged us to all play a role in the process instead of one person doing it alone because we all had to participate at the same time. I am very glad that I got the opportunity to be a participant in the Alpha Leadership Experience.

The Green Machines doing a leadership challenge activity