Being an Orientation Leader changed me in 3 months
I could talk about how it’s been great for my career and how great my team and supervisors are, sure those things are true, but I have seen changes in myself which I would not have, had I not chosen to go outside of my comforts.
When I first took this job I made a list of things I wanted to achieve, these are some I am willing to share:
- Become better with my people skills
- Be more willing to socialize with those around me
- Engage in small talk more often
- Challenge every habit I consider to be ‘ just the way I am ‘
These things to most may sound trivial but are things I really struggled with and knew I needed to improve. This job I took forced me to interact with hundreds of students and families in a day. Stand in front of an audience and speak, take the first step to interact with people I have never met, most of it was painful but eventually it felt normal.
I am thankful for:
- The late night conversations with the team members that lived with me this summer, giving me an avenue to discuss topics I hold really close to me
- My roommate who somehow convinced me to go on a rollercoaster for the first time, helped me fix my resume and is a large reason of why I am active on linkedin
- Those around around me who were patient with some of my, ‘ tendencies’ , but willing to talk with me and see improvement
Turns out many of the ways I consider to be my personality were in fact just habits I kept repeating and made a part of my identity. One of the things I told to many of the students I interacted with is that whoever you were before you came to University is irrelevant. No one here knows who you are, the failures or shortcomings from your past. You have a unique opportunity to be whoever you want without carrying the weight of your past with you. That has been my experience having just completed my first year here and I am grateful for this job for giving me the road to change.
