Peace out Senior Year

This as we all know, has not been the senior year that class of 2020 thought it would be. As college seniors the countless hours of homework, thousands of dollars spent to attend a school, and the activities we participate in were starting to come to a close. But, in March that all abruptly ended as we transitioned to online classes and began social distancing due to COVID-19. Senior banquettes were canceled, sorority alumni events were canceled, and eventually graduation was postponed. We finished all of our classes online and had commencement ceremonies over Zoom and Webex. But looking back the time I did spend at school was the best year yet. Senior year may have been cut short but I still managed to pack this year full of excitement, learning, and growth.

What I did:

Senior year was my year to apply to graduate school and finish my last requirements before graduation. While applying for graduate school to be a Speech Language Therapist, I decided I wanted to stay at a University and changed what I was pursuing as a masters. Now I will be going into Higher Education Administration because of the passion I have developed for the atmosphere and students at universities. But, besides that, my year was full of different activities. Including my final year in my sorority Alpha Sigma Tau which I was able to get a second little Carlie. I finished my time in Circle K International as the Service Facilitator/ Coordinator which was a joy. In Greek Life, I also had the opportunity to be a Gamma Chi and help new panhellenic women find their homes. As for LAS I was able to add to my family and get two mentees Kat and Kara who are the most amazing individuals. Additionally, I chaired my last Competition Day and was able to see how much progress we had made on the event in the last three years. As a student assistant I worked three more commencements and constantly followed Dr. Davies to make sure he was where he needed to be. At the university level I was also able to be on a committee for Awards, Scholarships, and Honors. Being on this committee gave me a glimpse into my future career path. Finally, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Los Angeles California for the EduMAX and Adobe MAX conferences which was definitely the highlight of my year. This year was absolutely wonderful and I am so glad that I was able to have the time to do everything I did this year.

What I learned:

The biggest most important thing I learned from this year is to not take things for granted. Now this is mainly because I did not get to finish out the semester in person but also as a senior year thing about everything that will be ending and how important they may be to you. This year I really tried to appreciate everything about CMU and my involvements because I knew they were coming to an end and I am so thankful I did.

What is next:

Thank you to everyone who has helped me through the last four years at Central. I am so excited to start my Masters program now and dive into the field of Higher Education! At CMU I will be a Graduate Assistant in the Volunteer Center for Mentoring Programs. In this position I will be working with programs like Lunch Buddies and Adopt a Grandparent. Until then I will be enjoying the summer and dreaming of a vaccine for COVID-19

Fire Up Chips!

 

Safari 2018

My Experience for my Second Year Safari Guide

What is Safari… well allow me to explain. Leadership Safari is a week long event that is put on through Central’s Leadership Institute. It is a program that is similar to freshman orientation. It helps get new students more familiar with Central Michigan University. Also, it gives the incoming students a time to meet other people at the university. Finally, the leadership aspect. This conference is all about leadership and opening peoples minds to different ideas and perspectives.

This past summer, I was a Safari Guide for my second year as a Leadership Safari Staff member. For my second year I was a guide for eight amazing Freshman on Team Aardvark. Besides my group of participants, I was also a part of the Back to Black core team and meet some of the best people ever.

To my Aardvarks: You are all such wonderful people and I am so lucky to know you. I have loved watching you all grow here at Central and find your place. You have all found your different places at Central and are thriving. I am so proud of all of you and can’t wait to see where life takes you.

To my Back to Black loves: Thank you all for the best Safari ever. Spending the week with all of you was truly a blessing. You are all such amazing leaders and are doing such great things for the world and the university.

The Future: This coming year I will be a Ranger on Safari Staff for Sharpay Evans Pink. A ranger is someone who still gets a group of participants during safari. However, rangers also help the Core staff members with training’s and picking out other staff members. I am so excited to have this new role and do my third and final safari!

 

Leadership Safari 2017

My experience on the other side of Leadership Safari as a Guide

As an incoming freshman at Central Michigan, I participated in Leadership Safari. I enjoyed my experience as a participant and a few people urged me to apply for a staff position. Last fall, I applied for a position on the Leadership Safari Staff for 2017. Over the course of the next few months I went through an interview and four spring trainings in order to be chosen to be a guide. I was so excited when I first found out I would be a guide and from then on I could not wait for Safari. Fast forward a few months to August 15th, move in day for Safari staff. After move in came four days of training. We listened to different speakers, broke boards with our hands, did the challenge course, and went through everything we would be doing with our group during Safari week. We also spent these four days bonding with our Core teams. After the four days of training it was finally time to put our skills to use and welcome the incoming freshmen and transfer students to Central Michigan. Throughout the week of Safari, each guide had their own team of students to work with. My team was Team Aardvark and they were 10 very amazing humans. Together we did activities to open their minds, went to speakers, completed the challenge course and trust activities, and went to entertainment.

My lovely Enchanted Red Roses: First of all, I could not have asked for a better Core Team. Here’s a little about each person on Enchanted Rose Red and why they are fantastic human beings. Alli, you bring so much light into my life and I would not have gotten through Safari without you. From 1am runs to Ihop (which I hope to continue lol) to venting about life and our problems, you are wonderful. Ashley, you are one of the strongest people I know. All week you did amazing as a runner and I could not be more proud to have you as a friend, stay amazing. Becca, you are high key fabulous. You were always there to give advice even if you had a bad day. Just remember you are loved and amazing. Brendan, thank you for being a big brother to all of us. From walking with Alli and I home every night to making sure I went to bed at a decent time. Brendan, you are so cool and positive and having you in my life is amazing, especially seeing you on campus and having you instantly know I was stressed…and later you checked on me. THANKS! Cat, you are so supportive and compassionate. Having you as a Core Guide was honestly phenomenal and you did an outstanding job. Thank you for taking care of all of us and always being there to talk. Celeste, getting to know you at Leadershape and having you in my family cluster was the best. Then, having you in my core team was icing on the cake. You are such a strong human and I love how passionate you are. Thank you for being in my life. Dom, I wish we had more time with you and Maddie. BUT, the time you were with all of us was great. You were always so positive and bubbly and brought the group up when we had rough days. Thank you for being you. Garrett, your sass was one of my favorite things. You also were always there to give advice about Safari and how to make our teams more cohesive. Kathryn, thank you for being my sister from another sorority. I loved getting to know you and becoming close throughout the week. I can’t wait to see you throughout Greek Life and school in general. You are such an awesome human being and just remember that. Kee, you are so fabulous and I loved getting to know you during Safari. You always had wonderful advice for the group and kept your head up as well as our spirits up throughout the week. Kelsey, you are such a fun-loving individual. At every late night or early morning meeting you always brought a smile and warm words to wake us all up. Kylie, you are truly an amazing person, from running across the country to taking 10 incoming students under your wing and always staying calm. I am always amazed by you and I loved getting to know you during Safari. Lexi, thank you for being my friend for 52 years. I am so happy we spent the whole Safari together. I can’t imagine Safari without you and I am so happy this experience brought you into my life. Thanks for being my  friend and support, you are incredible. Maddie, thank you, thank you, thank you for saving my life lol. Besides that, you are a marvelous person and I am so glad you and I were able to bond. Randi, you are a remarkable human being. You have taught me so much about life and everything that comes along with it. Randi, I am so excited to see you flourish, because YOU ARE AMAZING. Thanks for lots of slushies and many more to come. Taylor, you are so bubbly and joyful. I loved how much you brought to the group and how you were always building everyone up. Stay wonderful and always know you have people here to support you. To all of you, I love you more than you can imagine and am so thankful you are all in my life. I always hear people talking about how being a guide brings you closer to people you may have never known and this is so true. Thank you for letting me be myself ♥

My amazing Aardvarks: You guys were the coolest Aardvarks this world has ever seen. I loved “boolin” around with you everyday even though I thought at first you were saying boomerang. You all made my first Safari as a guide unforgettable. Thanks for endless jokes, laughing all the time, being sassy, and dealing with me everyday. To all of you, never stop dreaming, firing up, and being true to yourself. I am so proud and blessed toknow all 10 of you phenomenal humans. Just know that I think… and know that you ten are the coolest, smartest, and most interesting people I have the pleasure of knowing. Finally, I am so excited to see you all flourish at Central, and find who you are in this new world called College. Much love from mom♥

 

My experience as a Leadership Safari Guide was phenomenal and I am so blessed I had the opportunity to help incoming students. Central Michigan is a wonderful place and I loved getting to share leadership and CMU with 2000 + other people.

 

 

Flourishing Friendships

Mentor Mentee Retreat > September 11-12th > Eagle Village

The weekend of September 11th I had the opportunity to go to Eagle Village with my LAS cohort and our mentors from the cohort ahead of us. During the retreat, we organized into smaller groups with 7 mentor/ mentee pairs to work on our relationships and our leadership skills. Time was spent bonding with our mentor as well as getting to know more of the people in LAS. Overall, it was an amazing weekend and I really got to know some of the most incredible people in the world.

I bet you are wondering what we did to grow in our relationships and as leaders. Well, here’s a little blurb about a few of the activities and what I learned from them. First, when we got into our groups we shared our “road maps”. All of the mentees had to make some type of representation or “road map” of who we are and highlights about our lives. Mine was a tree with the roots being the people who root me in life and who support me, including my mentor, parents, friends, and family. The trunk of the tree was who I am today, a Leadership Advancement Scholar, Communication Disorder Major, daughter, and friend. Finally, the leaves of my tree were pictures with the most important people and pivotal events in my life. After sharing our “road maps”, we got into groups and completed various tasks. One task my group did was the ameba. We all were blindfolded
and our ‘guide’ tied us in a clump together. Then, he randomly placed a stuffed animal somewhere in the room and we had to use teamwork and strategy to find it together. From this I learned that there are times to be a vocal leader and times to listen and follow. I thought this ameba task was something fun and different than many other teamwork activities I have done. The final activity to highlight is the high ropes course. This was by far my favorite event
of the weekend because it really pushed me completely out of my comfort zone. I am terrified of  heights, so being on the high ropes course scared me a lot. BUT I did it and spent over an hour going through the course. I realized that fears can be overcome and I can accomplish things that at first seem impossible or frightening. Just take that first step. This activity also made me realize what a difference support from others can make. Together we are better! I honestly had so much fun and I was so proud of myself for fighting my fears.

The best part of the weekend was not the activities or learning to be a better leader, it was having time to bond with my mentor Em. During the retreat, she and I were able to just chill, talk about everything and anything, and even take a nap. Em was there the whole time to push me out of my comfort zone, encourage me, and take risks with me. The moment I first met Emily, we connected and learning she was mentor gave me so much to look forward to this fall. Since coming to college Em and I have become so close that she is like the sister I never had growing up…in fact I think we are more like twins! Spending time with Emily, getting to know one another even more, growing together as leaders, and learning how we can support each other was truly the highlight of the LAS retreat at Eagle Village.

Overall, as I said above it was a wonderful weekend. I was able to bond with my phenomenal mentor Emily, meet/ get to know so many people in the Leadership Advancement program, work on my leadership, and just have a fun weekend.

 

The SPARK of Leadership

 

On September 16th, a Friday,  instead of lounging my day away in my dorm room, I attended the Spark Leadership conference hosted by the Leadership Institute. This proved to be one of the best leadership trainings I have attended PLUS I had so much fun throughout the whole day. Throughout the day we participated in different group activities to work on each of our individual styles of leadership and to work as a team. Also, we took a test to figure out what type of leader we are and the advantages and disadvantages of our leadership style. All in all, it was a valuable day full of leadership, food, and fun. So here it is folks… my Spark Leadership experience.

There were so many cool activities to participate in at Spark but the two that stick out the most to me and the ones I’ll be talking about are the individual test on leadership style and an activity my group did with Jeremy (our wonderful LI secretary). First off, the leadership style test! For each question there were two answers and basically you had to rank them from 0-5 in order of importance. The questions were very specific so you could pin point your style. At the end of the test, you total everything up and that number you magically get, indicates the leadership type you are. My outcome indicated that I am considerate leader, which I 100% agree with. As a considerate leader I always want to hear about ideas from others and make other people are happy. Furthermore, I try to make sure everyone in the group is heard and that whatever we do, the whole group is happy or can support our decisions. However, there is a downside of being a considerate leader. As this type of leader, many times I put everyone else before myself and end up suffering the consequences for that. Additionally, as a considerate leader, I may not always be productive because I try to keep everyone happy and ensure all ideas are heard. This can take considerable time. Next, my results conveyed that I am not a very direct leader, which I also really agree with. I always have a hard time being the controlling leader because I want everyone to share in whatever we are doing. I have a hard time telling people when they are wrong or are doing something they should not be. Basically, I have a hard time being direct with people when things get “ugly” because I want to keep everyone happy. Now that you know my strengths and weaknesses as a leader, I bet you are wondering about the next activity! For this, we were in groups of two and my lovely partner was my friend Ethan. Jeremy then told us that the pizza we ate earlier that day was poisoned and one person in our pair had lost their eyesight so we needed to find the cure in the tunnels of CMU. Then we had to decide which person in the group would be “blind” and which person would be the leader. In my group Ethan was the leader and I was blind. After we got all of the logistics, we were lead into a room with ACTUAL mouse traps (which ended up being really funny), creepy noises, and obstacles. Ethan had to lead me through the room with my eyes covered, AND he was not allowed to touch/ guide me except with his voice. I enjoyed this activity because it was something fun and I had to sit back and let someone else lead me. Ethan and I ended up being the first ones out of the maze and the only group to not set off one of the mouse traps so that was pretty awesome.

Finally, I will give you a small insight into what I learned and took away from Spark Leadership! One of the biggest things I learned was my specific leadership type and how knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of this type can help me grow as a leader.  In one of the sessions, I developed goals on how to become a better leader by enhancing my current leadership skills and gaining additional skills. My main goal is to become more direct as a leader and increase my skill at direct conversations with people, even when things might get “ugly”. Every day I am reminded to be a more direct person and grow into my leadership style.