Spaghetti and Meatballs with a Side of Trust

Why have a lazy weekend when you can experience the opportunities of growth, trust, and respect through meatballs?  Yes, I said meatballs!  More specifically, a spaghetti and meatball dinner. This weekend, I opened my apartment to my eight resident assistants and my fellow graduate resident director for a spaghetti dinner, and the outcome was amazing! […]

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 […]

4 Fun Fall Team Builders

4 Fun Fall Team Builders

Ahh, it’s officially Fall again. You see the change of color in the leaves, and the smell of cookouts and bonfires in the crisp, cool air. The Student Centers at universities have started to promote their October events by decorating with orange and black. There is so much excitement during the Fall. As a campus […]

Turning Teams into “Families”

Who’s ever participated in an icebreaker that requires you to name off one fun fact about yourself? I know I have several times this semester in classes and during club meetings on campus (and it’s a great idea for building teams, like these other icebreakers). What do I usually say for my fun fact? Well, it’s either […]

An Open Doors, Open Hearts Moment at Orientation- A Student Leader Spotlight

Swift Kick Values - Open Doors Open Hearts

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 Keren Bakke, […]

Open Your Heart: 3 Ways to Use Life Defining Moments to Strengthen Your Team

Today marks another year in the books for QUEST, a first year summer leadership experience at my university. Each year I’ve served as a peer mentor during QUEST, helping the freshmen in our program to adjust well to campus, become engaged leaders, and develop personal goals for the year. Each year, the peer mentors and […]

Lip Sync Battles Are Extremely Important

Lip Sync Battles

You enter the auditorium, shaking, nervously looking at the bright stage set up for the next activity. You know what it is and you know it’ll take you far out of your comfort zone. You want to find a way out. That’s how a lot of people feel about the very last event of orientation […]

Putting “Open Doors, Open Hearts” to Work at Orientation

Walking into the next orientation was always a nerve-wracking experience. The orientation leaders’ heads were filled with questions such as “Which student is going to give me a hard time?” and “What happens if I can’t convince them to participate?”  In OL training, we were prepared for these students. We were told what to say […]

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