Entry into College LeadershipI started my college leadership as a Hall Senator for Alder Hall. The image at right is my acceptance email into the virtual position. In this role, I started developing a passion in advocating for others as well as the basic skills required to represent the residents on campus.
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Advocacy, Perspectives, and Abject FailureI advanced to the position of RCSA Director of Government Affairs in which I coordinated the Hall Senators across campus. This position came with a much heavier workload and more challenges in coordinating between various UW entities, allowing me to develop the ability to coordinate my time better as well as drive me to enhance my understanding of diverse perspectives. I also worked on a bill related to campus safety which met considerable controversy, allowing me to deal with conflict and how to accept recommendations. The first bill on the left is my original document followed on the right by an amended bill with an entirely different method of improving campus safety. Advocating for over 10,000 students allowed me to deal with adjusting my efforts to diverse perspectives, even if it required the failure of my previous work.
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Shifting Focus to Supporting Others' LeadershipOvercoming anxiety related to campaigning, I ran for RCSA President and ultimately won! I was able to further develop interpersonal skills within this role and learn how to be a leader of a team as compared to a leader within a team. While I was less involved with the projects of RCSA, I helped enhance collaboration between RCSA Directors and external entities.
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Honors Mentorship and the Hands-Off ApproachBeing an Honors Mentor was the final shift in my leadership and allowed me to adapt to entirely different goals than my other activities. Rather than focusing on a particular project, my only mission was to support the growth of my mentees drawing on my experience. I quelled my urge to micromanage and simply provided my mentees with resources and guidance, gaining perspective on the breadth of the time I spent at UW.
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