Roller Coaster Theory: Creating Engaging Moments on Campus
Ahh, the smell of sweet, delicious food in the air. Wow, everyone’s sporting Harry Potter wardrobe on the streets. Whoa, there’s the castle; it looks so big! That’s right, I’m talking about Harry Potter World in Universal Studios. This past week I’ve been on a leadership conference in Orlando, FL, and I’ve been lucky enough […]
The Importance of Crucial Conversations
This past week, the leadership program at my university hosted a Crucial Conversations Round-table Discussion. It was led by one awesome peer of mine, Jeremy Mathis. Jeremy guided our discussion around the issues of cultural appropriation and caricature, particularly during the Halloween season. Kudos to Jeremy for displaying true campus leadership! He’s promoting Open Doors, Open Hearts moments […]
The Importance of Orientation Leaders for Nervous New Students
There was a student at the orientation I was working that came off as pretty shy and quiet. It wasn’t that he was uninterested because he kept looking over at a group of the orientation leaders, but he didn’t quite have the courage to approach us. It was easiest for me to approach the student and […]
The Best Connections Are Unexpected – A Student Leader Spotlight
We are always meeting student leaders who are going the extra mile to make others feel welcome and build community culture on their campuses. We realized that one great way to learn from each other is to spotlight different students who have made an impact on the lives of their fellow students. Meet Kaylee Gutschow, a […]
Stepping Outside of my Bubble and Returning the Favor – A Student Leader Spotlight
We are always meeting student leaders who are going the extra mile to make others feel welcome and build community culture on their campuses. We realized that one great way to learn from each other is to spotlight different students who have made an impact on the lives of their fellow students. Meet Chue Yang, a […]
How “Meh” to “Hmm” Helped Me Feed My Butterflies
This semester, I am currently feeding my butterflies every Monday and Wednesday afternoon. I am taking a ballroom dancing class at my university, having no experience whatsoever with formal dancing in the past (unless you count the wobble, stanky leg, dougie, and whip/nay-nay as formal dance moves.) Thus, it has been a struggle having to […]
It’s Important To Be Heard – A Student Leader Spotlight
We are always meeting student leaders who are going the extra mile to make others feel welcome and build community culture on their campuses. We realized that one great way to learn from each other is to spotlight different students who have made an impact on the lives of their fellow students. Meet Nicolas Spencer, a […]
School is Here- Where’s the Enthusiasm?
The beginning of the school year is always the same. You see first years with a weird mix of nervousness and excitement, and upperclassmen with little to no energy. You’ll walk into a classroom and see the split right away. The first years are sitting in the front row and have all the school supplies […]
Finding the Good in Others- How I Found My Place
“Have you thought about applying to be an orientation leader?” was the unexpected question I received in an elevator from my RA. I quickly shook my head and shrugged it off. I was a timid first year in college and didn’t see how I could be an orientation leader. The RA, Oshane (pictured below), explained that […]
How to Make the Least Engaged Student a Hero
Crossing your lovely campus, you run into a student so introverted that your extrovert mind says “Why does he even come to our club meetings when he seems so…uninterested…” But you push this [biased] thought aside, put on your best smile and say “Hey, Dan! What’s up?” After a brief mumbled response from him, you mention […]