AWW GT!

Those memes that show people dancing like crazy people at 8am? Thats my life for the first six weeks of the summer the past two years as an Orientation Mentor. Last year, I thought my love for being an Orientation Mentor could not grow stronger, but at the end of my second season of Orientation, I can say I proved myself wrong. This year I was student mentor for the Pepper Team. This meant I was a flex team, and helped students with advising in different college locations every day. I also held a leadership position this year in Orientation being a Central Stage Director with two other mentors. The three of us worked together in the month leading up to Orientation to write Central Stage and brainstorm what we wanted our vision to look like. Central Stage is a portion of Orientation where we offer students and supporters a fun performance and highlight different resources on campus and bits of campus culture.

Orientation offers me leadership development in so many arenas. I get the opportunity to expand my public speaking skills through giving daily hour-long presentation about academic requirements and speaking in a microphone on stage in front of 600 people every day. I am able to share my experiences as a CMU student and connect with students in order to help answer the questions and calm them with their nervousness of starting a new journey. I am able to connect with the professional staff that work Orientation and learn from them. I love this job, and I love the memories it gives me. I love seeing students make friends in my teams each day, and I love seeing them get excited about what their time at CMU will bring.

Orientation gives me a glow and confidence that few other things do. I have an incredibly strong support system from the other mentors, and I form some of my strongest friendships. Orientation staff is like family. This summer I am continuing to work as mentor for Transfer Orientations, and I will be ending my time at CMU next summer, the same way I started it, with Freshman Orientation, it just looks a little different for me this time around.

Power, Privilege, Oppression, and Intersectionality

In December, I was able to site lead an Alternative Break through CMU.  I site lead the Youth Development AB that went to Omaha, Nebraska to work with Youth Emergency Services, a non-profit organization that provides resources to homeless and nearly-homeless youth in the area. This AB challenged me in ways that other ones had not yet. Being a site leader, I had extra responsibilities, such as making sure everyone arrived safe, communicating with community partners, and facilitating community building and reflections with my group. I did this with a co-site leader, from who I learned from and problem-solved with. This AB also helped understand the depth of intersectionality more than my previous ABs had.

Through service we helped sort through donations, deliver donations, set up for a Christmas Service with the members of YES!, and help run the Christmas Service. Through working with the donations I learned a lot about how much privilege I have by having easy access to everyday products that I use and need. Specifically, I looked at this through the lens of being a woman. During service, I spent lots of time going through feminine hygiene products and was surprised at how many donations of tampons and pads there were. I then realized that if I had no income or way to pay for these necessities, I would have no way of getting them. Females NEED access to these every month, and it is something that is not often donated because it is overlooked. So, if you are looking to donate to a shelter, consider donating feminine hygiene products. I also learned from my community partner the terrifying statistic that once a female is homeless, within 90 minutes 43% will be a victim of sex trafficking. This AB made me think deeper about my privilege to have access to things that keep me safe and healthy but also how much of a privilege it is for me to even go on an Alternative Break. The ability to take off time from work and serve for a week is privilege. To have access to education is a privilege.

The Christmas Service was set up with donations from members and organizations in the community for those who utilize YES! to come and take what they need. This included, diapers, baby clothing, cooking utensils, toiletries, blankets, hats, gloves, coats, and clothing. Everything in the Christmas Service was brand new, it was a gift. This made me even more aware of my privilege because when I saw individuals coming through to take what they need, when given the choice of perfume/face masks or toothpaste/blankets, they chose the toothpaste or blankets or soap, because it was what they needed. They had the opportunity to take things that aren’t a necessity, and they would get excited about soap or diapers, because it was something they needed. I had one girl who was about 13 come up and ask me what all she should take in order to take care of her hair. In that moment, I realized that not everyone has access to learn about different elements of what we consider everyday actions, let alone have the materials to be able to do them.

I also learned how those in power are implementing policies that are harming these individuals. In Nebraska, one is not able to sign a lease for their own home or apply for a loan until 19. This means that the task of going to college or moving out is extremely difficult. This puts a large number of individuals without a home unless their parents can afford to help them once they are done with high school. It is disproportionately harming families from lower socioeconomic status areas and putting them in danger. This harm increases for communities of color, woman, and individuals with disabilities. This is one example of the way those in power have the ability to shape the lives of individuals.

Alternative Breaks never fail to make me realize my privilege and give me a resurgence in my belief that it is my responsibility as a person who has privilege to do my best to help those who have not had the privilege of being given access to the same things I have. I look forward to site leading another Alternative Break this summer.

Detroit Service Trip LEAD team, try number 2

My freshman year, my cohort of LAS went on a service trip to Detroit where we received education about Detroit and served the community. This year I was on the LEAD team for the Detroit Service Trip for the freshman cohort of LAS. This meant I was able to participate in the experience and facilitate reflections with a small group of students. This experience had some differences from my freshman year, and I have grown a lot and am different too. It is because of these differences that I was able to learn so much and be impacted so heavily by the experience.

One of the biggest things that I took away this time was how aware I was of the gentrification that is occurring in Detroit. On the first day of the trip, we spent some time with Quicken Loans and took a historic tour of Detroit. During the tour, we learned about the housing barriers that have been placed on people of color and the systemic racism that has driven many decisions that have been made in the city. Decisions that were made not that long ago, have had immense effects on communities of color. After the day, I was eager to get into reflection because of the impact the tour. It was fulfilling to hear and see students response to the tour and the amount they learned. They were able to connect the dots in how power and privilege can lead to groups being oppressed. The next day we served with CASS. The group I was with worked on recycling paper. I helped sort paper before it went to be shredded.

This experience was an amazing one that gave me the opportunity to help members of the freshman cohort reflect and grow from their experience, and it gave me the opportunity to learn and grow myself.

Leadership Safari for Leadership Development

I have been involved in the Leadership Safari program heavily throughout my time at CMU. It has given the the opportunity to develop into the leader I am today, and it has opened my eyes into new experiences and involvements I would not have had without it. This year, after my second Fall Leadership Safari and my experience as a Spring Leadership Safari last year, I was able to be the Spring Leadership Safari Staff Assistant. In this role, I was able to plan the conference for incoming transfer students and second semester freshman. I did this through programming elements of the conference, working with campus partners to build a service project, and utilizing campus partnerships in different offices to recruit students for the program. This was only the second year of Spring Leadership Safari, and my GA, Haley Anderson, and I were determined to make it a great experience for the students.

 I have grew through this experience in ways that I did not imagine the role as a Staff Assistant would bring me.  I developed my own sense of authentic leadership, and furthered my discovery of what being a leader means to me. One of the best things being a Staff Assistant for Safari gave me was working with Haley. Through my relationship with Haley, I have truly learned what mentorship looks and feels like. Haley was always there for me as a human, a student, and a leader on the campus. She sought my opinion and insight on elements of the program, and she guided me on things I had no previous knowledge of. I was able to receive incredible amounts of professional development, and I gained a resource to help as I anticipate through the journey of post-grad life as well. She has given me incredible support in things that have occurred in my life this past year, and she helped me learn how to use my values and heart in my leadership. Now that my role in Safari is done, I no longer consider Haley my GA, but a good friend. I could not replace my relationship with Haley and the support and guidance she has given me for anything.

Through the development of my leadership, I learned how important it is to be critical of the programs and institutions you are a part of in order to make change. Through my high leadership role, I saw not only the incredible parts of the program, but also the parts that I thought could improve for the well being of the student leaders involved. I was able to see things through a lens, and use my voice to try and make change for the future in this program and campus. This position brought me a lot of stress, but I am grateful for the experience because I would not be the leader I am today without it.

As I enter my senior year, my journey will the Leadership Safari program is done. I look back on my safari memories with joy, but I have realized that sometimes things help you grow to a limit. Once you have experienced the growth you can in a program, it is time to move on to things that can further your growth beyond what staying with where you are comfortable can. I look forward to the growth I will experience, and I look forward to using the skills that the Leadership Safari program has given me.

Seasons of Service

Throughout my time at CMU, one of my favorite things I have been involved in is the Alternative Breaks Program (AB). The AB program provides students with issue education, service, and reflection with social justice issues through weekend and weeklong breaks that travel to different communities and assist them with whatever the community says they need. We are there to serve the communities.

When thinking about what the AB program means to me the one word I can use to describe it is community. The community comes from both the service we do with our community partners and the people that you meet.  The people that I have met through this program have become some of my best friends and support systems. The support doesn’t stop with just things occurring within the AB program but has brought me people and support that stretches outside of the AB web. I have gotten so much support in trying to figure out my professional goals and what I want to do with my life while also supporting any personal struggles I have faced while at CMU.  One of my friendships from AB, Shannon Dent, and I even made a remix to the song “Seasons of Love” about how much we love AB and Board. I wouldn’t trade our Thursday evening meetings for anything. These friendships all developed because of the sense of community and the conversations that Alternative Breaks starts. You are surrounded by people who have similar values to you and genuinely care about the people around them. Through office hours, long van rides, and service you gain the opportunity to be completely yourself and be extremely goofy at times and incredibly intentional at others. When going through an experience of growth with other people you create a bond with them that sparks that friendship and support, and I cannot imagine my time at CMU without the community that AB has helped build. It is because of the growth and community that the Alternative Breaks program has given me that I applied to be a part of the Alternative Breaks Advisory Board. This year, I was able to serve as a Site and Service Development Chair  (SSD) and a Site Leader and Orientation Chair (SLOT).

Through my involvement with Alternative Breaks this year I grew an immense amount in my knowledge of both the program and social justice. As an SSD I was given the task of planning the weeklong service experiences. This meant finding service and housing, writing Site Agreements, receiving Insurance from community partners, and making loads upon loads of phone calls. One of my favorite aspects of Alternative Breaks is the community partners we work with. I love being able to interact with them and learn from them. On all of my AB experiences I have been able to form connections and learn about different ways people are working toward social justice. As a Winter SSD during first semester, I had the opportunity to learn more about the community partners we work with beyond the scope of the ABs I have participated on and connect with them.

This year I also had an opportunity to experience the work that SLOT does.  SLOTs role is to train and prepare site leaders to lead their weeklong and weekend service experiences. This included writing trainings, writing weekly newsletters, and presenting trainings to site leaders. I was able to learn how important the role is to support site leaders and help them feel prepared to site lead their Alternative Break. I know for me through my site leading experience the time leading up to the break can be stressful, and I know I felt inadequate within my role at times. I utilized SLOT at those times and was able to have a resource to help me feel prepared. I was grateful to be able to use my experience to help prepare site leaders to have a successful, intentional, and growing experience while on their AB.

This program has helped me realize how strong my passion for social justice is, and it has helped me better understand the intersectionality of social justice issues and the importance of being an active citizen. I am extremely excited to complete my final year at CMU as a member of the AB Board as a returning SSD, and I am excited to continue to connect with community partners.

 

Veggie life, part 2

Last year, I joined Student Advocate for Vegan/Vegetarianism because I had just begun my journey as a vegetarian. I had started restricting meat from my diet due to hearing about the health benefits of being vegetarian.  I joined the Student Advocates for Vegan/Vegetarianism (SAVV) because I wanted to learn more about not only why I should be vegetarian, but also better tips and tricks to making food while vegetarian that I did not know.

Throughout my second year as a member of SAVV my love for being vegetarian and knowledge of how the meat industry negatively impacts our environment has grown immensely.  Every meeting I learn more about how making a small change in my daily life, I am able to impact the world on a larger scale.  Not only do I have the opportunity to learn inefficient meat production is, but also how harmful meat production is to the environment.  The amount of chemicals that are pumped into meat to make it taste better and last longer in storage are harmful to the environment, and these chemicals are taking the nutrients that are meant to be “good” for our body away.  Also,  the way animals that are raised for meat production is cruel. My biggest takeaway from my second year as a member of SAVV is that there are additional ways that I can be conscious of the environment while being vegetarian, such as limiting my amount of food and plastic waste. Often foods that are convenient to buy as a vegetarian are packaged in insane amounts of plastic that are harmful to the environment. Additionally, when buying fruits and veggies it is not difficult to not eat them before they go bad. I learned ways to better manage my food waste and limit my plastic use as well. I also have become more aware of how where I spend my money is impacting the environment as well. If I am buying and giving money to companies that are harmful to the environment, there will not be change. It has given the knowledge and power to vote with my dollar!

SAVV has given me the opportunity to constantly learn and become more conscious of how the way things are sold, not just what is being sold, matters too. I am grateful for my growth into a conscious consumer.

A Glimpse into my Journey with an Eating Disorder

I have battled in my mind a lot on whether or not I ever thought I would write about this.  Was it something I wanted others to know?  Was it going to look like a cry for attention?  Would people think of me as weak (my actual biggest fear due to my obsession with perfection)?  But as something that controls my thoughts and actions constantly, I want to share this intimate part of me with others, and I don’t want to feel the shame of my struggles.

I was sitting in an identity workshop a few weeks ago and was internally reflecting on what my identities were.  The obvious ones came to mind easily, I am a white, cis-gendered, hetero female.  But reflecting further beyond the things society has taught us to put an easy label on, my mind kept circuling to one central thought of who I am.  I am someone who lives with eating disorders.

The whole story of my journey with body dysmorphia, obsession over how I am percieved, my need for control, and the actions indicative of eating disorders is impossible to share in one blog post. To complete the full story of why, we would have to start at the beginning of my life, but I could write a whole other blog post about that. I’ll briefly talk about my childhood and when things started, but mostly, I am going to share how I cope, what I struggle with, and how seeing a professional and opening up to those who love me has helped me grow stronger.

Since I was young, I have fantasized the idea of death in my mind.  I was never seen as a sad kid/teen/adult, in fact I am usually known for being quite the opposite. Loud and energetic are the two most common words I hear used to describe me.  However,  in the middle of my sophomore year of college, this thought of death was the thing that took up all of my thoughts.  I would have anxiety attacks extremely often, miss class because I did not want to get out of bed, convince myself those around me hated me, and most importantly make lists, sometimes in my head, other times in the notes section of my phone, of reasons why those around me should hate and why I hate myself.  One of my close friends, Lauren, encouraged me to sign up to go to counseling.  Others had mentioned it before, but having this close friend constantly be pushing me to take that step helped me realize someone DID care about me.  It was then that these thoughts that I had thought were normal, were not.  I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression, and as I eventually divulged more in therapy, I was referred to another counseling center that specialized in eating disorders.

I had been purging since I was a sophomore in high school, restricting my diet and obsessing over calories in silence since I was 13, but I would have never thought that I would actually be told one day, “You have an eating disorder”, let alone did I think I would hear “You fit the descriptions of three different eating disorders”.  After hearing these words, it was like so many puzzle pieces fell together.  It made sense to me that I would get so many cavities.  It made sense to me that I always had acid reflux.  It made sense to me that I would get hiccups everytime I ate because I would eat my food so fast.  Later in therapy I learned more about body dysmorphia and how it has been controlling my life since elementary school.

Through all of these diagnoses being thrown my way,  it offered me an answer I had been wanting.  WHY.  Why did I struggle so much with this.  It simultaneously offered me comfort of having an answer while also making me feel weak and ashamed.  The shame came mostly from the same origins as the eating disorders themself,  I wanted to be perfect, and I wanted to be in control of what others thought of me.  I slowly started to share with those close to me, and the responses made things feel better and some made things worse.  “I don’t see you struggling with that”, “I have never seen you not eat”, “We don’t see you doing those things around us”.  Which often ended with me responding “Well yeah, I didn’t want you to see it”.  I was a master at hiding who I was.  I have struggled a lot of my life to make actual deep connections with people and hold on to them, and I still do at times.  However, the responses that were filled with love and support are the ones that I remember most.  My friends are the reason I am able to talk about this all now.

I wish I could say that through my therapy and the love I have gotten I have moved on from this identity and am practicing healthy eating habits.  At times that is true, but at others it seems impossible for me to think of not keeping track of everything I eat.  It seems impossible for me not to look in every reflective surface around me to evaluate how I look. I have come to view my eating disorder similarily to how someone would view a toxic friend.  You can often recognize they are not always helping you, but the idea of relying on them can bring you a lot of comfort.  You know them better than anyone else, and most importantly you believe they know you better than anyone else.  My eating disorder is a voice in my head constantly talking to me.  And sometimes it is hard as hell to tell it to shut up.  But I have learned some things through working with a professional that help me silence that voice.

1. Is there any evidence? : When I am feeling like others hate me for not being enough, when I feel like I am failing,  my counselor ( I consider her one of my best friends lol) has taught me to try as hard as I can to stop this irrational thoughts and try and make them rational by trying to make a list of actual phsyical evidence that proves that.  SPOILER ALERT: There usually is no evidence.  Additionally,  I try and find evidence that proves the exact opposite, that I am loved, that I am killing the game, and I am a strong powerhouse of a female.
2. Lets create some nueropathways yo:  I wake up every day and I fall asleep every night by telling myself things I love about myself (yeah some days are a lot harder, so I just fake it but the end result is that I feel a lot better).  I repeat in my head that I am loved.  I look in the mirror and say out loud “these legs help me walk”, “these arms let me hug the people I love”.  Saying things and thinking positive thoughts more often allows them to travel faster in your brain due to the strengthing of the nueropathways that these thoughts travel across.
3. Music:  I am sure it is a surprise to no one that music is one of my favorite coping mechanisms.  When my thoughts are going crazy and I feel like I cannot control them in that moment, I take a step back, turn of the lights, lay on my bed, and sing my favorite songs.  It’s amazing.  Big fan. (extra points if I get my lavender essential oils going too)
4. Writing: I am not going to lie, there are a lot of times when I cannot freaking stand to write.  I hate journaling a lot at times.  But I know it helps me, so I have found ways to make me enjoy it more. This usually includes going somewhere I love or listening to music I love while I journal.

For me, my eating disorder centers around the idea of control.  I want to control how I look, how others percieve me, and how I perceive myself.  I know this is not how everyone else experiences their eating disorders.  I know unhealthy relationships with food exist even for those who don’t identify or have not been diagnosed with an eating disorder.  I don’t expect sympathy, but I want to share who I am with others.  Also,  I know a lot of others struggle with similar issues and I have learned that one thing that helps me the most is deeper connections with others.  This is only a fraction of my story, and it does NOT define me.  However, it is a part of me, and part of being able to love myself is being able to love the parts of me that aren’t perfect.

Much love to those who show me endless love, those who have let me open up to them, and those who are struggling with any issue.

Thank you.

 

Additionally, here are some things that really grind my gears in relation to this topic:

1. When people make assumptions about people with eating disorders and the validity of these eating disorders based solely on their physical size.
2. When someone is hungry and says “I’m starving”
3. When people believe that body dysmoprhia is simply not liking the way you look
4. When people see someone who is thin and say “they need to eat a cheeseburger”

Working the Night Shift

This past summer I had a job that at the time I did not know would end up having as large of an impact on me as it did.  The biggest way to show how the large of an impact this job had on me is by simply looking at the fact that it has been a year of me trying to figure out what to say in a blog to do this job the justice it deserves.  I am writing this post to attempt to show how great of a time I had and also how much I grew and obtained new skills.

This past summer I was hired at Drew’s Assisted Living as the full-time third shift RP (RP literally stands for Responsible Person, lol).  As RP it was my job to be in charge of the Resident Aids (RAs) that were working, pass medication, chart on the residents, and also help with the assisting of residents.  On third shift I had only one RA on shift with me at a time, so I had the opportunity to really get to know the coworkers I would work with, and I also really got to be hands on with the residents.  Drew’s has multiple locations, but the location I was working at had up to 20 residents at a time.

I started the job with the mindset that I would probably gain a lot of insight what it would be like to work in a job with primary care, but left with not only that, but also a whole summer’s worth of amazing memories and people skills.  Each and every one of my resident’s taught me something amazing about life.  One of my most memorable residents that holds an extra special place in my heart was someone who lived the type of life I would love to be able to say I lived once I have reached her age.  She grew up very independent and focused on loving her friends and family wholeheartedly.  She was the first resident I was able to assist at Drew’s, and I was on shift the night she passed.  I know that for years to come I will remember the type of love and kindness I got to not only witness but experience from this resident.

Most people think that working third shift would be extremely relaxed and chill because the residents would all be sleeping right? ha wrong.  But of those nights where residents wanted to do anything but sleep I made some of the best memories.  One resident in particular that just really preferred to sleep during the day and I would spend the nights singing and dancing around in the living room, listening to the stories of each others lives, and laughing at the goofy stories she would tell about her husband and kids.  This resident in particular cried my last night when I told her that I was leaving at the end of the summer to go back to school, and I never would have guessed that I would be making such great connections and impacts on a resident.

Another resident that is important to mention is a resident who was extremely misunderstood.  This resident was not very vocal, and they would get extremely scared and violent when a worker would be assisting her.  A lot of workers would get very negative about working with this resident, and try and get other people to help her, but I had a very strong connection with this resident that I never knew how to explain.  I would just try and be the kindest person I could be to let her know that I was just trying to help.  I would let her move as slow as she needed, and I would constantly talk to her.  I also learned that she LOVED music, so if everything else was failing and she was getting violent, I would offer to go sit and listen to music while we worked on getting her dressed.  Anything to bridge the gap between a worker and resident to make it more of a friend helping a friend worked wonders in gaining her trust.

I have had many more experiences and residents that touched my heart, but one important and sad thing I want to note is that now, a year late, quite a few of these residents have passed away.  Passing is a very natural part of life, and this experience taught my first hand how to deal with it in a way where I can still be a person of support for others while still processing a loss myself.  I am happy I was able to have an impact and part in these people’s lives and help put a smile on their face towards their last days.

Another thing I would like to note about this job is that I got real life experience in responding to emergencies.  I have had lots of training and classes that taught me cpr, first aid, how to respond to an emergency, etc. but throughout the summer I gained experience in dealing with calling an ambulance due to an injury, providing care to a resident who was having a breakdown due to mental health, providing comfort care to a resident who was actively passing, and many more.  I became extremely comfortable in my ability to respond to an emergency and provide life saving care.

Overall, I loved my job with all of my heart and look very forward to returning to work in the end of the summer.  I had never been so sure of my choice to enter into the health field as I was after my job at Drew’s Assisted Living.  I can’t wait for the more opportunities to impact other’s lives and make connections in the future and to eventually become Dr. Varney.

Nobody Knows what a Serval is

At the beginning of my freshman year, I attended Leadership Safari as a participant, and I loved it.  The week long conference helped my feel comfortable on campus, have fun, and really accept CMU as my home.  So, I decided to apply to become a Leadership Safari Guide so I could help impact incoming CMU student’s lives in the positive way my Safari experience had impacted mine.  The process of applying interviewing, and going to multiple trainings before finding out whether I had been accepted or not really showed me how badly I wanted to be a part of this program.  When I found out I was going to be guide I was excited, but even then I had no clue how much this program would end up meaning to me by the end.  As it is a long week with lots of info, I am just going to make a list as short as I can without making this post a novel about what exactly made my experience so amazing.

1. Yellow Submarine:  Every guide at leadership safari is a part of a core team, which is led by a core guide.  Your core team is your rock throughout the stressful week of safari.  I am still close with my core team now even after safari is done, and I cannot put into words how grateful I am for the group of amazing individuals I was lucky enough to meet and learn from.  They were a group of fun people who knew what to say to make everyone feel better.  I know my future involvements with safari are going to be amazing, but I will never forget my original core team.
2. Cia Elder: I could have included this in my description of yellow submarine, but I thought Cia deserved a section to her own.  Cia was my core guide for my first safari, and now she is one of my biggest role models at CMU.  She is a great example of servant leadership and authenticity.  She cares, is the definition of positivity, and never fails to be inclusive.
3. Team Serval: As a Guide, I was given an animal that will represent my team for the week, and I got Serval.  Yes, a serval.  I also had no idea what the heck that was when I was given my team name.  However, my team and I learned to really embrace the strange animal throughout the week.  My team is a large part of what made my week so great.  They were so good at going with the flow.  Even when they were tired or not in the best mood due to the long and exhausting days, they still put their best efforts in and tried not to complain.
4. The Energy:  Second only to the people you meet, the energy is my favorite part of Leadership Safari.  The people you are with are all so hyped up about CMU the whole time.  It is exhilarating to be in a room of people who are all as happy as you are.  Along with the energy goes the fact that everyone around you is passionate about something.  Whether it is people or leadership or CMU, they all care deeply about something.
5. The Growth:  I believe being a Leadership Safari Guide has given me the ability to develop my facilitation skills to grow exponentially.  I had facilitated before, but Leadership Safari really takes your facilitation skills and puts a magnifying glass to them.  I believe I am a much stronger leader now than I was before.

 

I could go on for days about how much I love Leadership Safari, but I know that this was not my last Leadership Safari and I will have even more to share about what this program does for me and others in the future.

 

Talk the Leadership Talk

Another class I took this year with my LAS cohort was Communication in Leadership.  A lot of the topics covered in this class are similar to the topics covered in my LDR 200 class I took freshman year.  However, being a year older I believe helped me understand and takeaway the material a little differently than before

The first assignment in this class is telling a story about a time you failed as a leader.  I was shocked when I heard this was our first assignment.  This is not something we are asked, and I was genuinely curious to hear all of these people who I consider strong leaders around me talk about a time they failed.  Most people told stories of times they were in high school.  This contrasted with our last assignment which was to tell a story of a time we implemented a topic from the course and were successful as a leader.  Most people told these stories from a time that was extremely recent.  I loved hearing this because it showed the growth in the each person because they were growing so much as leaders in as short of a time as from high school to college.

My favorite lesson from this class was talking about the types of ethical challenges in leadership.  I felt it was extremely applicable to the leadership roles I have now, and that I will have in the future, including my future career.  I think it is also arguably one of the most important because in order to be a strong leader, you have to be ethical. This is definitely one of my biggest lessons learned from this class.