Creating Meaningful and Impactful Relationships
Described as the summer of the unexpected, working with First Year Programs (FYP) as an orientation leader is an experience that I will never forget. FYP is at the forefront of coordinating first year experiences such as Advising and Orientation and Dawg Daze and helps to foster a positive academic transition for incoming students. I was fortunate enough to work alongside twenty-seven passionate, driven, and caring individuals who took part in welcoming new students and parents to the University of Washington. Being an orientation leader not only sparked a passion for working with students and building meaningful relationships with them, but it also helped me to step outside out of my comfort zone and learn more about myself.
Growing up, I never saw myself as a leader, or someone who was capable of having any sort of leadership potential. However, what I’ve come to learn from this experience stems from the idea that “Leaders are made, not born”. Having the opportunity to work one-on-one with students, I was able to step into an area that was completely out of my comfort zone that allowed for me to guide my students through their transition into this new chapter of their lives. As a result, this experience helped to connect two of my core values together – courage and compassion. Through demonstrating courage, I was able to challenge an area that was way outside of my comfort zone while expressing compassion allowed for me to create a space to connect with my students on a deeper level and build more meaningful and impactful relationships with them.
Tasks Accomplished
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Assisted in welcoming over 8,000 students and 3,000 parents across 38 Advising and Orientation programs
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Facilitated workshops and sessions to answer student and parent queries that included large group discussions on college transition, academics, health & wellness, diversity, and personal experiences.
• Lead campus tours and presentations within many parts of the University and provided relevant resources to first year students, transfer students, and family members.
• Advised students in course scheduling, healthy study habits, and other helpful tips to prepare for the transition to the University of Washington.
• Contextualized specialized UW knowledge for an array of audiences and further coordinated with academic advisers during transitional program presentations to assist students.
• Bridged the gap between students and institutional resources through various partnerships from different university programs.
Leadership Skills
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Facilitation
The first leadership competency I developed was facilitation. As an orientation leader (OL), we were in charge of groups ranging from fifteen to twenty-five students and part of leading a group involved facilitating ice breakers, group conversations, and individual reflection time. Each OL had their own facilitation style, and how they wanted to set the tone for the group. For me, community building was one of my main focuses - I wanted my students to leave orientation feeling like they were not only familiarized with campus resources and were ready to step into their Husky Experience, but that they had someone to connect with when they returned in the Fall. One of the ways that I approached this was through the facilitation of ice breakers. During the first day of orientation, I would have students break out into small discussion groups and introduce themselves while talking about topics such as: what they were most excited about coming to UW, what they were interested in getting involved with, or any fun plans that they had for the summer - I found myself constantly being blown away by the stories and experiences that my students would share with me. To end the discussion, I would then have them form into groups of two-three and come up with a unique handshake, and thus, introduced the concept of an “accountabilibuddy”. For the next day and a half, their accountabilibuddy would be someone that they could reach out to if they ever got lost, or missed something during a presentation, and it was through this connection where I was able to watch beautiful relationships blossom.
Inclusion
As an OL, our team had the opportunity to work with a diverse group of students and families. With that came the goal of cultivating an uplifting and welcoming environment for both students and parents alike. One of the ways that I was able to work on including others was when I would facilitate group discussions within my various groups. During the time, I would individually check in with my students to see how they were doing, what their thoughts were on the day’s program, and if they had any questions or concerns. When we would come back together as a larger group, I would ask my students what their thoughts were on some of the discussions/reflections that we were having and open up the space for anyone who felt comfortable sharing to discuss their thoughts and ideas. From this, I was able to gauge the interests of the group and see where they were at collectively and how I could better serve them as their orientation leader. As a result, I did my best to cater their A&O experience to make it more interactive, informational, and engaging based on the groups unique interests and needs.
Scope of Competence
An important lesson that I took away from this experience was reflected through the scope of competence idea. Stepping into the role of an orientation leader was the first kind of formal leadership experience that I ever had. However, when I reflect back to my time spent at UW, I always come back to this experience because I believe that it created the foundation of skills and confidence that allowed for me to believe in myself, and to continue pursuing opportunities that were outside my comfort zone. Being an OL required having a vast knowledge of various resources as well as a wide range of skills, but with that came the knowledge that we weren’t expected to know everything. Especially towards the beginning, when programs were so new to me and I was still trying to find my way as an OL, there were an abundance of times where I doubted my abilities to be a role model for these students. I would have students come up to me asking questions on things that I didn’t know how to answer, and it took moments like these for me to realize my strengths and limitations. In areas where I wasn’t sure how to support my students, I was able to direct them to other OL’s or other resources that they could reach out to. Whether it was questions regarding a specific major, different involvements or various living situations, being put in these positions allowed for me to be comfortable in being confident in my strengths and skills, but also knowing when to take a step back and reach out to others for help in areas that I wasn’t knowledgeable in.
Receiving Feedback
At the end of every session, we had an A&O evaluation that our students would fill out that involved program improvements and follow up with registration. In addition to this, part of the form gave students the chance to give their OL any feedback or critiques on how we could improve. From this, I was able to grow in the leadership competency of receiving feedback. This was a competency that was important to me because as someone who was very timid in being a leader for these students, I was constantly looking for ways to improve and better support my students. After a cumulation of sessions, we would get an anonymous feedback form that contained all of the suggestions and recommendations that our students gave us. This was helpful for me because I was able to take the feedback that I was getting and set personal goals for myself on how I could improve, and use that as motivation to take into future groups. In addition to this, my students would also provide words of affirmation on things that I did well, which was something that was really special to me. Having both critiques and compliments allowed for me to see where I could improve, and what areas I was doing well in, and that helped me to grow more into my position as an Ol as I was constantly learning and growing with my students.
Mentoring
Mentorship is something that I value, especially because my own mentors have had some of the biggest impacts on me throughout my time here at UW. Like my experience with leadership, I never had any sort of exposure to mentorship before coming to UW. As an OL, I found so much joy in being able to help guide my students through their transition into their Husky Experience, while supporting them through their goals and encouraging them to make the most out of their time at UW. Having my students look up to me and seek out guidance was terrifying to me because I wanted to make a positive impact on the lives of my students. What I’ve come to realize is that it was those moments, that helped to create some of the most powerful memories. From navigating campus resources, to getting involved in the community, one of the most meaningful things about being able to mentor incoming students was building a long-lasting friendship with them that would extend beyond their orientation. I still run into my students every now and then, and I love hearing about all of the things that they’re getting involved with, the challenges they’ve faced and overcome, the things that they’re stoked on life about. At the end of the day, I’m thankful for the interactions that I shared with my students - I have learned more from my students, than I could have ever taught them, and it’s exciting to see the places they’ll go and the things that they’ll continue on to do.
Collaboration
Working with a team of twenty-seven passionate and inspiring leaders allowed for me to step into the leadership competency of collaboration. As a team, our main form of communication was through an app called GroupMe. On this app, we would post messages regarding registration, room changes, lost students, or general program questions and although the group chat was constantly moving with a flow of messages, it allowed for our team to work more effectively, while also addressing questions and delegating tasks efficiently. Through this, we were able to become a more cohesive team, and there came a point in the summer where we all knew each other so well, that there were times that we didn’t have to rely on GroupMe for communication. Members of the team would step in and help without having to be asked, and there was a constant flow of productivity that allowed for programs to run smoothly behind the scenes. From just meeting each other Spring quarter to spending the whole Summer together, this team was such a blessing to learn and grow with. We faced highs and lows together, and through thick and thin, we had each other’s back. It was through this experience that taught me the importance of collaboration, and through it all, I am thankful for this team, who ultimately became my family.
Group Development
We have a saying that "FYP is Family" - my favorite part about this past summer was that this incredible group of people became like an extension of my family. It's amazing how a group of people can come together and fit so well. This group of OL's was more than just a team, we were a family. The last leadership competency that I gained from being an OL was group development. Throughout the summer, we had a number of opportunities to connect in smaller groups - during our Spring retreat, we were paired up into community groups and one of my favorite parts was that at the end of a session, we had the chance to touch base with our community groups about our highs and lows from that day, and the overall session. Even on our toughest days, being able to come back together as a team and support each other through the days' challenges was something that I held very close to my heart. As a team, we shared some of the most vulnerable parts of ourselves and that helped to create a steady and safe environment where we could be honest with each other. There were days where I felt like I wasn't meant to be an OL, days where I didn't feel capable of leading these students, and through all of that, both the professional staff and the OL's had my back and supported me through it. In the same light, if another Ol was having a tough group, I would always do my best to check in with them and support them however I could, and that was collectively a common theme where we were always looking out for one another. FYP will always be a place that I call home, and I'm thankful for all of the collective experiences that I had as an OL that shaped me into who I am today.
Lessons Learned
Working with First Year Programs as an orientation leader allowed for me to find my voice in a community that helped shape who I am and how I see myself today. Being an OL challenged me in ways that allowed for me to grow both personally and professionally and through this experience, I discovered a passion for working with students and empowering them to find their voices. When I look back at my time at UW, my experience as an OL will be one that I will always come back to. I came into UW with the mindset of focusing on academics, but what I walked away with, was an experience that I will forever be thankful for.