March 21st Meeting

1. Group Presentation

2. 3 Things I Learned:

• I learned that presenting with a group is much easier than presenting alone.
• I learned that both Jill Carr and Jodi Webb are truly interested in what is going on with the students.
• I learned that feeling like you are going to vomit and actually vomiting are two very different things.

3. I feel that we were very prepared, especially with the gap of spring break the week before our presentation.  I think that I probably could of spoken louder and rocked on my feet less but overall I think I did better than I usually do public speaking.

4. One enormous change in my life was the transition between 8th grade and high school.  I went from a class of 39 people whom, for the most part, I had known since kindergarten.  I was very comfortable.  Then, suddenly, I was dropped in a pool of 250 students, most of whom I did not know.  It was extremely frightening and I felt very alone.  To deal with I tried getting involved to find communities where I was wanted and needed.  Finding people who supported me and cared about me took what could of been a horrible year and really turned it around.

5. Lame as it was, the Bowling Team is where I found that sense of community.  This is the team from my senior year.  I couldn't find a picture from my freshman year.  Ironically,  none of the people pictured were on the team with me my freshman year.

February 28th Meeting Reflection

1.

2. Three Things I Learned:

• I learned about the five different parts of an organization that make it complex.
• I learned that FLI is far from being a complex organization.
• I learned that a tree can be a good metaphor for the different aspects of Bowling Green State University's campus culture.
• Bonus: I learned that Eric is not afraid to creep through our lives to find out what organizations we are involved in.

3. Campus Culture and Our Lesson

• Artifacts: the seal in the middle of old campus
• Assumptions: that every students clearly prefers BGSU to Toledo
• Values: friendliness and diversity
• Heroes: SICSIC, Freddie and Freida, Marge in the Union, Van Wright
• Rites and Rituals: hockey game cheers; walking to the right of the seal
• Communication Networks: Campus Update; SICSIC Sez Signs
• Structural: President, then other administration, then professors, then other faculty, then students
• Political: agreeing with the "cutting" of the professors
• Symbolic: Falcons

4. I am very nervous for our presentation because I detest public speaking.  I believe that we are preparing well for the presentation but that does not make me less nervous because I still have to take part in public speaking in front of three of the most important people in the university.

5. This is a picture of me with some of my Alpha Phi Omega brothers.  These brothers are very special to me because they are part of  my family within in the fraternity.  Our family is called Lost Boys.  There are several other families in the fraternity.  The existence of these families is a part of our culture, based off of our big/little family trees.

We were at a surprise party for the girl in the dresses birthday.  We made sure to be there to support her since we are her family.  The sense of family is very important and is probably one of my favorite parts of APhiO culture.

January 31st Meeting Reflection

1.

2. 3 Things I Learned

• I learned that every member of a group has a role that is critical to the group being successful.
• I learned that groups go typically go through four stages, known as forming, storming, norming and performing.
• I learned that, as a group, we are fairly good at keeping several balloons in the air at a time, especially when we communicate with each other.

3. This helps me understand that each member is critical to our group being successful.  I think that I tend to take on a role where I take charge and am very vocal with my opinion.  I also try to make a plan of action so that the group I work with accomplishes our goal.  It would be very difficult for me to play a role of a summarizer because I would want to add my own spin to the discussion.

4. My definition has broadened throughout our lessons.  When I started I pictured the presidents of organizations when I heard the word leader but since going through these lessons I have come to understand that leaders are everywhere but are not always obvious and do not always have a title.  I see now that those are usually the best leaders because people follow them simply out of admiration for the way they act, not because they possess power because of a title they have.

5. I chose this picture from our retreat because I think this retreat is where we really came together as a team and a group which made us able to pull this service project off.

February 14th Meeting Reflection

1. Name of Cohort Meeting:

2. 3 Things I Learned

• I learned that I have already completed the majority of the Leadership Certificate Program.  I have even actually completed the first pillar.
• I learned that my highest value is my faith, which all of my other values spout from.  I think that my faith will be a good jumping off point for my Leadership Philosophy Project.
• I learned that there is a possibility the special guests coming to the presentation of our service project might also be at the presentation of our Leadership Philosophy Projects.

3. My values shape every step that I take in my life especially steps with a focus on leadership.  I work hard to be an example to others of my faith in everything I do which is my number one value.  After that comes compassion which I believe is the result of my faith because I believe in a compassionate and merciful God.  I try as hard as possible to display my faith inspired compassion in all that I do.

4. It is important in complex organizations because it keeps everything in order.  Some large organizations can quickly become disorganized and fall apart if there are not people leading the group and keeping them focused on their purpose.  My fraternity is a great example of this.  We have 150 members which can get pretty chaotic at times.  Thankfully we have a council that keeps things running smoothly and makes sure that the fraternity upholds its values by planning events and keeping us an active part of campus.

5. 

 

I included this picture because I am going on a retreat this weekend at my church.  There I hope to grow in my faith and, also, my ability to lead with renewed strength in my core value.

January 17th Meeting Relfection

1. Name of Cohort Meeting: Communities, Teams and Groups

2. 3 Things I Learned:

• I learned that sometimes when you think you have a great plan but it falls through, its just to make way for something better.  Basically even though our original service project didn't work out, it made way to serve a population (the elderly) that is often ignored.
• I learned that we will be presenting our service project to a lot of people who are very important at BGSU, particularly President Mazey.  This makes me nervous but hopefully I will overcome that fear with the help of my public speaking class.
• Lastly I learned that sometimes forming a community involves a little chaos but that is okay because it helps the community learn to be open about problems instead of shoving them under a rug.
• Also I am beginning to accept that there is a lot of gray in the world and that that is okay but since I'm not quite there I didn't think that should count as one of my three things.

3. I believe a community is a group of people who share a common identity, whether it simply be geographically based, such as a residence hall, or on larger scale such as religion or sexual orientation.  My ideal community is an inclusive place where everyone realizes that under outer identity differences they can still find common ground with each other.  It would also involve mutual respect where people could be open which relates to the 4 Stages of Community Development that Eric explained to us.  Also, based on the Cross the Line activity I would want it to be a place where there was equal privilege for everyone.

4. My definition of a team is a group of people united under a common goal whether by choice or by circumstance.  To me, teams are different from communities because they have to work together to accomplish something, they don't just believe the same thing side by side.  But teams are like a subcategory of community, like squares are a subcategory of rectangles.

5. I included a picture of my drawing because I want everyone to enjoy how pretty it is and also to remind everyone of the 8 aspects of a community.

December 6:

1. Name of Cohort Meeting: Reflection and Spring 2014 Goal Setting

2.Three Things I Learned:

• I learned that our service project is possible but it is going to take a lot of work.
• I learned the SMART guide to goal setting.
• I learned that there is a possibility of a second year being added to FLI which makes me excited.

3. I'm looking forward to my new, more education oriented classes that I will be taking next semester.  I'm excited to get to work on the service project with my goal being to recruit organizations to provide volunteers.  I plan to achieve this by reaching out to my own and other fraternities and sororities on campus to recruit volunteers by contacting their service chairs the first week back after break.

4.  My plans for winter break are to go on a ski trip with my family, hangout with my friends from high school and appreciate that I do not have any papers due.

5. Here is a visual to help me continue to make goals for this service project.

                                              

Leadership Academy

1.  Three Things I Learned:

• I learned that values are priorties that we have which guide all of our decisions.  In order to be a strong leader we should know what our values are so that we can be true to them.
• I also learned that even if we have a certain value there are still situations which are a gray area where that value might be placed on the back burner in order to stay true to another value.
• Finally, I learned that we all have different styles of leadership that are based on our values and our strenghts.  There is no one right kind of leadership.  There is as many different styles of leadership as there are leaders.

2.  I enjoyed getting to meet new people.  It was cool to draw connections with other people who also valued leadership.  I was surprised that I was the only person in my group who throught cheating should always be reported.  The most valuable thing I will take away is that I should make sure that my actions are congruent with my values.

3.  Values was all about discovering what things were a priority to me when I make decisions.  Ethics was all about making sure that my actions reflect my values.  Commitment was all about finding a purpose based on my values and ethics and sticking to it.

4.  Ethics is very important in leadership because it is all about having congruency to your values.  If, as a leader, you fail to live according to your values then you are being a dishonest leader who will never be able to be effective. By letting my values, such as compassion, guide my actions I will be able to create a safe and caring environment at our service project. 

5.  No pictures taken at Leadership Academy, sorry.