Going into college, I did not know what to expect. I decided to begin college by moving in a week early and attending Central Michigan University’s Leadership Safari. Before I attended, I thought it was going to be something where everyone met for a little bit each day for a week and listened to speakers tell us how to survive college by their experiences.
Here is how it went for me…
First I met my safari group, Team Lizard! At the beginning of the week nobody knew each other, we didn’t really talk much, it was difficult to collaborate, and we did not work together as a team.
A group photo of Team Lizard!
As we moved through the week, we got the opportunity to bond and grow as a whole. We did leadership activities that showed our strengths and weaknesses, learned more about each other, and accomplished a lot. We learned from each other, our guide, and other participants.
We had amazing speakers tell us about their life stories and how they grew from them which inspired us. We needed inspiration like that beginning our college experience because all of the change and stress that it could potentially cause.
Team Lizard during a leadership building activity
Toward the end of the week, we realized that we already had one thing in common since the beginning. We were all going into our first semester at Central Michigan University. It was a given because we were all participants of Leadership Safari, but it meant more than it seemed. We were going to a new school, meeting new people, sharing a new experience, starting new classes, getting new professors, finding our way around a new place, but most of all, starting a new chapter in our lives at the same place. Of course we are all different and are going into different things, but something brought us all together for that one week. By the end, we made new connections, worked together, and got to know one another on a different level of working together.
All safari participants, staff members, and band members in the shape of the Central Michigan Flying “C”
Along with the learning and growing experience in a group setting, I got the chance to bond with my Leadership Advancement Scholar Cohort during the down time. We all had stories to share about our teams, things we liked about the experience, and the need for sleep and late night food runs.
A few members of my cohort and I trying to finish summer assignments during Safari down time
Overall, I had a really interesting experience through Leadership Safari. I got the opportunity to grow being a step-back leader and watch my teammates step-up, meet new friends around campus, and learn how to deal with specific situations.
Developing Leadership as a Lifestyle 