I’m Not Lucky I’m Blessed

Deciding to attend Central Michigan University has been the best decision in my life to this point. I am blessed to be able to call this place my second home. I have already changed and grown so much in just one short year of college. I came into college not knowing my future and just about anyone here. That soon changed with my LAS family! 47 amazing people that I am lucky enough to call my friends. They have taught me so much and made me want to be a better person.

I came to Central as an uninformed kid that loved people, but was clueless about the issues around the world. There is so much change that needs to happen around the world and I know my fellow LASers and I are gonna make a difference in the world. Saving the world, whether it be the environment (no more disposable plastic water bottles), going Vegan (meat is too good for me to stop), or just being more knowledgeable and aware. I do not tell everyone in my cohort enough just how amazing they are.

I realize this transition could have not been easy on my parents. I came close to commuting to a university near my hometown which would have saved me & my parents a lot of money  and student loans. After meeting Dan Gaken and other Leadership staff, my wise older sisters and parents encouraged me to go to CMU because they knew how much I would gain from the Leadership Program. Going from 4 kids living at home, to now an empty house. They have been nothing but supportive. They are always pushing me to do better and improve. My first semester was defenitely a challenge academically which I never faced previously in my schooling. I was surrounded by the support of Dan, my mentor, & many positive LAS’ers  who had high standards & similar interests which made the transition easy. I have learned so much and made the necessary changes to be successful. I can take everything I have learned into the future with me so that I can be and do anything that I put my heart into.
     I have been lucky enough to receive a wonderful mentor; Bellal, and brother; Nate,  volunteer and give back in Detroit, attend leadership conferences where I was inspired, go on weekend retreats where we bonded, listen to amazing speakers, meet the president, and make life long friends. This is only the start of what LAS has offered me. 

Living on campus, I have become a part of Program Board, volunteered around Mt. Pleasant, became an intramural champion in co-ed dodge-ball (with only a team of 6 against all teams of 7),  and lost the championship game of bubble soccer (we should have won if 26 year old nurses didn’t beat us :), fundraising and participating in Relay for Life, which is near to my heart, and all the future opportunities I will have to be involved in.
I was lucky enough to live in a Dorm where we are truly a community. Barnes has given me lifelong friends I will treasure forever, an important support system and many lifelong memories. Warm weather finally hits and everyone goes outside to hangout, do homework, and get a little competitive in volleyball. We stay up late writing blog posts, making cookies for competition day, going on long boarding trips (even though I am not the best), supporting each other, or just simply hanging out.

Everything I have done in college has improved me as a person and allowed me to grow as a leader. I can’t even imagine my life without having such a strong leader & mentor in Dan and the LI. I now have a passion to make everyone feel special, because you do not know what someone is going through and even just a few kind words could have a positive effect on them. I have improved my facilitation skills which I hope to always keep improving on. My eyes have been opened and I have a new overall compassion as a person. Although Engineering is usually not common as a leadership fulfilling major, I am excited and will strive to become a leader in the field and use my knowledge for the benefit of others.

A true leader understands cultural differences and that every individual they encounter is different and can lead in their own way. If you know what is going on around you, you can be more effectuve in how you lead. I hope I have expressed the positive and life altering affect college has had on me so far. It is hard to put in words how special this place is to me. I am blessed to call it my second home. Most people say they love their college and the opportunities it brings, but I truly mean it. The campus is so inviting, there is a common passion to make a difference, and the focus on the importance of Leadership makes CMU so amazing. I could never write about all of the positive impact CMU & most importantly the LI,  has had on me but I hope you get the scope of it.  I can not wait to see what the future holds.

The Future Roomies. I am ready for the crazy ride we are about to have next year in Emmons with everyone else that is also joining us!

 

 

 

Pre-LAS in the D

      LAS in Detroit is a yearly trip where the Freshman Leader Advancement Scholarship Cohort along with the lead team in charge of setting the trip up, travels to Detroit where we volunteer and help impact the community. On Friday we will be doing service with students from the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, and on Saturday we will be volunteering with CASS Community Social Services. This is a fantastic trip I am stoked to be apart of this year.

I am aware that Detroit gets a bad rep that is not totally deserved. We will be looking past these stereotypes during the trip and try to understand where these kids come from. They may not get all the opportunities that we are given. Poverty is big in Detroit. Too many people are homeless and less privileged. It is our job to give back and help our community. I live 30 minutes from Detroit and have traveled there often to watch various sporting events, eat some delicious food, and visit my sister who has an apartment in Detroit. I have been able to see first hand the situation a lot of Detroit is in and I have been lucky enough to have previously volunteered in Detroit. This trip will allow every student in LAS to better be prepared in the future for leadership roles in an increasingly complex and challenging society. Also, we can give back to the next generation of individuals and ourselves the responsibility to improve the quality of life, state of the economy, and communities in which we live and work also shown in the vision of the Leadership Institute.The opportunity to give back to a Michigan community in need is always a great learning and eye-opening experience. I hope to grow as a person and as a leader on the trip. I am very excited for this opportunity to give back these next two days  and get to spend more time with the lovely people in my cohort.

 

 

 

Haaaave ya met Ted?

Ted Talk is a nonprofit devoted to spreading idea. Many speakers talk at the conference promoting technology, design, and different ways of thinking of thinking and ideas. We watched Simon Sinek: How Great Leaders Inspire Action talk. Simon first talked about business and the model used by successful companies such as Apple. They start first with why they make the product and do what they do. Then, you work out from there and explain the when and how much. This way talks more to the customer, gets them to believe in the company and once they are invested it is easier to sell their product. Towards the end, Simon gets a little into how this works in  leadership.

Everything “starts with why.” Why do you work? Why do you follow passions? Why do you lead? All of these are questions to ask yourself. The main concept I took from this Ted Talk is why. People initially follow a leader because they look up to them and have trust. Leaders must earn this trust. Once this occurs, the actual cause being worked towards will be easier. Everyone can work together as a whole. I enjoyed this Ted talk, and, although the area with most meaning to me came towards the end I still took a lot from it.

If I take anything from this Ted Talk it is definitely living by “why”. Do not focus on the outcome, focus on the reasons behind what you are doing. Then, focus on the journey. If you truly believe in why you are doing something, anything else after will come with ease. I can take this thinking into my daily life by not focusing on the materialistic things around you. Do not look at something in life and think how it can benefit you, but how you can positively affect the others involved and make a difference in their lives. If you do this, good things will come your way. An effective leader believes in why he is leading and wants to make everyone around them better.

A Spark of Leadership

The Spark Leadership series is put on by the Leadership Institute to give students a passion for Leadership and make connections with other students. Spark is a four week program that is 2 hours every Thursday night. More info can be obtained here. LAS is required to attend once our Freshman year. I enjoyed the experience and hope to be able to be a co-coordinator in the future.

Spark started with a presentation from our coordinators, followed by getting into our groups. I was lucky enough to be on Team Collaborated lead by Sophomore LASers James Barber and Angie Distelrath.

Team Collaboration!!

 

We got to do some activities to bond with our group. The next week got to learn our Leadership styles. I am a Direct Leader which means … The third session was a Challenge day with our groups. Each person got their chance to take a lead on a challenge. I love participating in team challenges like this. I love a good challenge and enjoy the comradery you feel in succeeding in a group. The last day of Spark put everything we learned and know about Leadership into one activity. Everyone was split into two groups that were given different cultures, ways of speaking, and rules to follow. It is hard to explain in full, but basically the culture I was in started every confrontation with a hug and asking about a male in their life. You proceded to play a card game. Students from the other group came over to participate in our group which lead to mass confusion. Personally, if you did not get to visit the other group the activity did not have much of an effect on me. This also might have been due to me being sick.

Overall, I thought Spark was a good event and I am happy I got to participate. The best part of my experience was being able to learn about my Leadership style. Now that I know my style I can work on my weaknesses and continue to do the things I do well. Spark is just one of the many things the Leadership Institute puts on to spread Leadership throughout campus at the wonderful Central Michigan University.