Want to know what I have been doing with the last four years of my life. On top of going to school. Here you go. Here is the basic paper for my reflection for the
Bentley Civic Leadership Program. Let me know what you think.
1. Campus Involvement: Being involved here at Bentley Campus is something that has always been important to me. I was on the Varsity Swim Team for three years, my sophomore year, a group of friends and I decided that Bentley would benefit from a water polo club and went through the formal recognition process, I became the Co-Founder and Vice President of the Bentley Water Polo Club, which now scrimmages against other local colleges and sponsors Float-A-Boat on Spring Day. My junior year I became the marketing and public relations e-board chair for Bentley Christian Fellowship, an organization I have been involved with since my freshman year that offers weekly Bible studies, fellowship and the Annual Easter Banquet. Also during my junior year, I applied and became a resident assistant working in Kresge, providing peer support and programs for the past two years. I have also been a work study student since my freshman year working as a lifeguard down at the Dana Center Pool and as an Event Staff Supervisor, working at the 1917 Tavern and various events put on by Greek Life, CAB, and ISA.
Civic Engagement: Service-Learning was introduced to me during my freshman year in my IT101 class with Professor VanderClock, when I was working with students at a local elementary school with the America Clicks program. Since then I have done a service-learning project almost every semester of my collegiate career. From doing an alternative spring break with Habitat for Humanity with Lynne Johanson and other Bentley students, to working with a local Y.M.C.A. on how to better run their programs in an embedded management course, to working with local elementary school students again with ELL Learners. Finally, my senior year, I have had the opportunity to work at the Watertown Boys and Girls Club for the entire year in their Homework Help Room. Also has a resident assistant I have had the chance to work with various organizations on campus to plan and encourage my residents to attend many cultural events happening on campus.
Ethical and Socially Responsible Behavior: I believe that acting ethically and being socially responsible are very important characteristics to have in a human being. While we all make mistakes, learning from those mistakes and growing is the more important thing. As a resident assistant it is very important to act ethically and show social responsibility, since you live in a fishbowl where your residents, other students on campus, fellow resident assistants, head residents assistants and resident directors are watching your every move. After I leave Bentley I hope to set a good example of what it means to be ethical and a socially responsible role model to the community in which I live and work.
2. Other than surviving college on the East Coast, 3,000 miles away from my family and graduating. I would have to say my biggest accomplishment here on a campus would have to be becoming a resident assistant. After a long application process and tough interviews, I made it! I became a resident assistant because my sophomore year I had no idea who my own resident assistant was and that worried me. I wanted to create an environment like a home on my floor where everyone knew one another and felt welcomed to be there. I believe I have achieved that over my two years of being a resident assistant. Being involved in many organizations on campus has thought me how to manage my time well and how to get more involved in my community. When I graduate and start work in the real world I plan on becoming very involved where I work. I do not want to be one of those employees who shows up to work, does their job, then leaves. I want to be engaged, have the chance to meet other people in different departments and make a difference. I also plan on doing more community service activities when I graduate. I did them before I came to college, as a care group leader at my church working with 8th grade girls and doing various service projects. Therefore, I plan on doing more after school. Hopefully, I will be making more money than I am now and will have more time to spare and therefore make a bigger impact.
3. For me, as a civic leader, I think my biggest challenge will be to get too involved in too many projects. I have a big heart and I want to save the world. In earlier years, I struggled with over commitment something I believe I have gotten better at over my four years of here at Bentley. But I know I’m not perfect. This also goes along with knowing which battles are worth the fight and which ones are not. Sometimes you need to pick and choose, something I am not very good at. Another challenge I can foresee is having the courage to speak up. I know now as a senior I am at the top of the food chain so it is easy to have a voice here on campus. However, once I graduate, I will probably have some entry level job where I will be back at the bottom and while I am a very outgoing person, in new environments I tend to take my time to figure out how things work before getting involved.
