What does your personality mean to you and your community?
My sisters and I were recently sitting in a cafe, and I was discussing potential educational icebreakers that I could organize for the group of resident assistants that I will supervise this upcoming year. A bunch of different icebreakers were brought up, but the two that stood out to me involved discovering the different personalities […]
Team Bonding with a Book Club
My Kindle noted that I was 17% done reading Seth Godin’s book, Linchpin. The main thought running through my head was how freakin’ long of a build-up Seth was taking just to get to anything actionable in the book. He kept looping thoughts and popping into odd side tangents. Was I being too harsh on […]
5 Ways to Make Your Graduating Seniors Feel Appreciated
Every day, I use an orange highlighter to check off my to-do list during work at Swift Kick HQ. It makes me smile to use it because where it came from means so much more than an average highlighter. I can still remember my friend Rachel, at my last club meeting ever, saying Did you […]
C-O-M-M-U-N-I-T-Y
No matter what it is that brought you to your current community: passion, interest, language, love, friends or simply a whim, you are part of something special. What does your C-O-M-M-U-N-I-T-Y stand for? Connection to each other and the larger community If you think about it, every group and relationship you are a part of is a community […]
Overcoming New Student Fears Through Connections
Being a member of the community at the University of Minnesota Duluth, I recently noticed that there were and still are many students who are in the “neutral zone” because they are unsure about being bold and friendly. Moving to college is an overwhelming time filled with new experiences. By the time I meet with […]
Ways To Have An Adventurous Summer Within A New Community
As summer is approaching, I have had multiple conversations with my various groups of friends regarding their summer plans. A few of my friends within my cohort or graduate school class are attending summer internships in a different state. One of my undergraduate friends is also experiencing a similar change in scenery by moving to Pittsburgh […]
An Awfully Tone-Deaf Birthday Tradition
HAAAAaaaappppyyy BIIrrrRRRthDAYYYYYY toooOOO YOUUUUUUUuuuuuu. HAAAAaaaappppyyy BIIrrrRRRthDAYYYYYY toooOOO YOUUUUUUUuuuuuu. HAAAAaaaappppyyy BIIrrrRRRthDAYYYYYY DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEaaaaaaarrrrRRRRRR AHHHHlalalala CHRIIIsttttIIAAAANNNNN! HAAAAaaaappppyyy BIIrrrRRRthDAYYYYYY toooOOO YOUUUUUUUuuuuuu. Adults and toddlers, gathered around the dessert table in the dining room, screaming, gargling, laughing, chortling – all in the name of singing Happy Birthday to my brother. We know the drill well – if it’s someone’s birthday, you MUST sing the song in […]
It’s The Little Things That Matter Within Communities
A few days ago I went to the store to find one of my undergraduate friends her graduation present. Since my friend’s graduation is a big milestone in her life, I decided that I had to find her the perfect, meaningful graduation gift. Fast forward a few days, today I get a text message from […]
So, this one time, in an Uber…
As I opened the passenger door to the Uber, the first thing I heard was, “Hi Melissa!” To be completely honest, I was tired and really looking forward to a quiet, awkward silence type of drive home. Not this time. The two women, Lisa and Karen, in the backseat of this very fancy, black Mercedes […]
Noticing Types of Encouragement for Success in Your Environment
“When I get older I want to be an astronaut.” When we were younger, our main source of support rested on our parents telling us that if we really wanted to be an astronaut we could achieve that goal. As we got older, not only did our goal for our future career change and become […]