Sunday, September 15, 2013

September 13th Meeting Reflection

Here's my reflection for our second FLI meeting. Things are really starting to roll!

1. Name of Cohort Meeting: What is leadership? What is a leader?

2. What are 3 things that you learned at the meeting?
-First off, I learned that the FLI retreat is a LOT closer than I remembered. It's in all of two weeks! I ain't ready for this! A second thing I learned is how different all of our interpretations of leadership are. I know there are many traits and aspects and stuff that we agree on when it comes to leadership, but there are also a number of things that we see in a leader that others don't. But of course that's okay. Everybody has their own opinions and every sees the world differently! A third thing I learned is how much the idea of leadership has evolved over time. All the theories and ideas... And all of them are right in their own ways. It's quite the puzzle.

3. Has your definition of leadership changed after the meeting? Talk about a time when a leader in your life challenged the traditional definition of a leader.
-My definition of leadership has changed a little, mostly because there doesn't seem to be one specific definition. It all depends on the person and the situation. This is what has made me look at leadership differently.
This past year, while I was a senior in high school, I was the Community Service committee chair for our student council. There was a freshman in my committee named Courtney, and she was a very quite girl, but was voted into student council nonetheless. She was not very charismatic, nor did she ever seem to take control of a situation and lead it. However, there is no way my committee could have functioned without her. She came to all our events, and made it to every meeting. She showed up to stuff even when nobody else did. Even though she wasn't "in charge" of the situation, she always stepped up and made a huge difference.

4. What do you think it means for someone to serve and lead at the same time?
-I believe people can lead by example. Even if you don't have a title, or aren't the designated "leader" of a group or activity, doesn't mean you can't give it your all for it. Be the one that people look up to, or the one people can count on to get something done. This is just as great as being the face of the organization.

This is the program from our Hall Council Officer Training! We're learning how to make a difference, even if we're not some fancy title like President or Treasurer!

Campus Fest Reflection

My first Campus Fest was terrific! There are so many cool groups out there! Unfortunately, there aren't enough hours in the day to do everything I would like to, but hopefully I have a great time in the stuff I am involved in.

1. What are 3 things you learned at Campus Fest?
-First off, I learned that there seriously is something for everyone. If you say differently, then you didn't look hard enough. Another thing I learned was that the leaders of these groups really do want you to join. I know that sounds weird, but what I mean is, the groups aren't just a small group of friends that made the club to get funds for their interests or to have something that looks good on a resume. They made it because it interests them and want other people with the same interests to come and join them. A third thing I learned is... there are a lot of groups that seem the same to me. I'm sorry, but if I don't want to join the first Freedom Fighters group, I don't want to join the next four... They probably have some differences. It probably makes them rival groups.

2. How long were you able to be at Campus Fest? Did you enjoy it? What was the most interesting/surprising organization that you saw there? Did you see any there that you may want to join?
-I was at Campus Fest for about an hour after one of my morning classes. I started off over by Eppler and weaved my way through so I ended up by Founders. It was a lot of fun seeing everything that campus has to offer outside of classes. And the LARPers are always fun to watch. The most interesting organization I saw was probably the WBGU TV station. I thought looked super cool, and it looked like everyone that was there had a great time doing it! So that was one group that I considered maybe becoming a part of. Another one that looked good to me was the Chemistry Club (because chemistry is my minor), and I definitely want to be a part of Spanish Club (since it's my major).

This was Campus Fest when I left for my first class at 9:02 am.

This was in between my first and second class at 10:54 am. It technically hadn't even started yet!

It was really packed right up until the end! This was 2:56 pm.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

First Post! August 30th Meeting Reflection

Aw jeez, isn't it my luck that I'm already late with my first assignment in the Falcon Leadership Institute? Well either way, I'm really excited to part of this group, and I hope to get to know everyone here really fast!

1. Name of Cohort Meeting:
Introduction, Team Building, and Schedule

2. What are 3 things you learned at the meeting? Briefly reflect on each.
One thing I learned is that there really aren't that many of us in the group! But I don't think that's a bad thing. It's more intimate this way, and we can get to know each other better than if there were dozens of us.
Another I learned is that we have a retreat later this fall! It's overnight and everything! This is some serious business!
And one last thing I learned was that Alyssa's birthday is this week! Happy Birthday Alyssa! :)

3. Please introduce yourself.
My name is Nick, and I'm pretty pumped for this year! I'm a Spanish education major with a minor in chemistry (yes, I know it's a weird combo), and I live in Founder's Hall as part of the Honors Program and Honors Living Community. Besides FLI I'm involved in University Band and Hall Council. Once Campusfest rolls around, I'll probably end up jumping into some other things as well, such as Spanish Club, one of the education organizations, and maybe even try out for the Quidditch team! I'm super upbeat, and really easy to talk to, and I'm always excited to make new friends, so that's what I'm looking forward to the most. What I'm most afraid of, though, is joining too many things and spreading myself too thin, and letting myself down and letting down those that have expectations of me. So being able to juggle my extra curriculars along with my classes and still retain as high a GPA as possible is my goal for first semester!

4. What is your definition of leadership?
I believe leadership is the ability to make a change or a difference, whether it's something simple like making someone's day better, or something big, like being in charge of a group to lead a campus-wide event. There are many levels of leadership, and not all of them have titles!

5. Include a picture related the cohort meeting.
Some of my roommates and I are running in the hall council election at Founder's. I'm only shooting to be a Resident Representative (or Senator. I've heard it called both.), but still looking forward to getting involved! We want to fix the patio and add more bike racks!