Exploring personal achievements and projects.
Leadership
When I first came into school, I knew that I wanted to help make other students feel welcomed when making their transition from middle school to high school. My junior year, I was given the opportunity to join a program called LINK Crew that was dedicated to helping create a welcoming environment that brought students in the upcoming grade closer together (L1). I did a training with other students wanting the same thing for the incoming freshmen and worked on my packet all summer to make sure it was tailored to me and made it more personal for other students (L3). When the time came to welcome the new freshmen, I was nervous. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to connect with them or not. Luckily, I did.
When our groups were assigned for whom my partner and I were teaching during orientation, we were given a group of seven boys. It seemed daunting, and we were both scared that they were not going to listen to us at all. However, when the time came for us to
During that entire school year, I kept communicating with the students that I had made connections with when introducing them to the school.
I would check in and see how they were doing, and I would help plan events tailored to the freshmen, like the freshman tailgate and cocoa and cram (L4). By the end of the school year, I decided that I was going to do it again my senior year. Even though I knew that it was going to be a large time commitment, it made me feel good helping the incoming freshmen to feel more welcome.
do the activities, they listened to us better than the students I had the year before. We truly were able to connect with the group, and the whole time it was full of laughter and fun. Then, when it was time to give out props for our “theme” while giving the tour. Tutus, tiaras, and fairy wands. They were all so excited, and we had the best time on our tour. This school year, instead of me always reaching out to the students I have gotten to know on that day, they were reaching out to me. By trying to relate and finding small connections with them, I was able to create strong connections that lasted the entirety of the school year (L4).