Key Moments of Learning
Peer Advising Job
Lead Boulder Mentor
Trip to Chile with Global Leadership Class
Study Abroad
My study abroad experience was particularly eye opening for me in terms of understanding myself and the experiences of others. I spent four months living greatly outside my comfort zone. I was living in a new country, with a new language, all new people, and no close family connections. In the beginning, it was hard to find confidence. I could hardly talk to other Spaniards, let alone practice leadership. But after a few weeks, I learned how to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. I started chatting with strangers, learning and practicing new cultural customs, and understanding how to function in a new society.
This discomfort also gave me a new perspective on cultural competency in leadership. After studying abroad, I know how hard it is to learn and operate in new cultures. Even simple things like whether I smile at someone as I pass them on the street became something that I had to be cognizant of. This perspective gave me a better understanding on how to work in diverse teams. I am more aware of how people’s lived experiences can lead to different behaviors and values that I am not used to. By having a deeper insight on cultural competency, I can learn how to be a more inclusive leader.
Class Advisor for Presidents Leadership Class
Through the Presidents Leadership Class (PLC), I worked as a Class Advisor for the first year PLC class. In this position, I ran my own 2-hour recitations which included creating lesson plans and facilitating discussion and activities. This was one of my first experiences as a facilitator. As a class advisor, the biggest thing I learned was how to listen and ask good questions. These seem like simple tasks but as most leaders know, doing them well is quite challenging. My natural tendency is always be the first to raise my hand and share all the knowledge I have in my brain. However, as a facilitator I had to take on a much different role. My job was not to feed my students facts and concepts but rather have them discover it on their own. I had to learn how to listen first instead of talk. Not only did I have to listen to my student’s arguments for mere understanding, but I also had to listen to check their facts, to see where they had weaknesses and strengths.
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After learning how to listen better, I then had to learn how to ask them thought provoking questions. Questions that would change they way the understood and thought about concepts. Of course, my facilitation skills are no where near perfect. However, this experience allowed me a space to practice and improve. Because of my class advisor position, I am a much stronger facilitation leader.
PLC Mentor Nikki
I met Nikki from the mentor program through the Presidents Leadership Class. This mentorship was a pivotal experience in my leadership development. Over many coffees and meals, I learned about what a hard-working person Nikki is. She graduated with honors from the CU Engineering School. She spent summers working in Africa or for the World Bank in D.C.. But as hard working as Nikki is, she still knew how to take time for life. When I last saw her, she was about to leave with her husband to travel the entire South American continent for the whole year. My relationship with Nikki really encouraged me to find a balance in leadership. I want to be as accomplished as Nikki is, I want to change the world just as she has done. And yet, she can take a whole year to travel and learn and be a human.
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I remember distinctly when I came to her, worried because I did not have an internship from my sophomore year summer. She replied by saying that there will be plenty of time for work in the future. She explained that her first two years in school she actively chose not to do anything over the summers so she could enjoy some rare time off. Something that would only become rarer as she got older. Nikki was the first person to teach me that I could accomplish my goals as a leader without compromising my life goals and happiness. As a young leader, I was always afraid that achieving greatness meant giving up time for myself. But, as Nikki so clearly exemplified to me, it is integral for a leader to have time for herself. Achieving greatness must include my happiness and wellbeing. This concept has driven me to become a more capable, well-rounded, and understanding leader.