Fall 2023 
Leadership

Ithaca College Men's Crew

This fall, I competed for the top coxswain seat as a junior. I unfortunately did not get the spot, but the experience challenged me as a coxswain and I improved my skills during the seat racing and evaluation process. In the race I did compete at, my boat did well and some of my rowers gave me compliments on my coxing and encouragement calls which tied in to the work learned at Leadership Academy this semester. We also got rower feedback forms and I saw big improvements in my steering from last year and steady improvements in my race voice and practice management skills. Also during the fall, the team attended the corn maze challenge at a local farm against Cortland and we made sure to represent the team and college well. It was really fun to do team-building activities and I liked helping lead the team as an upperclassman. We worked with the new freshman recruits and helped them settle into college.

 

Leadership Academy

This semester we learned about leading through encouragement and enforcement in Leadership Academy. Now as upperclassmen, the expectation is that we are not only leading by example but leading vocally and that comes through positives like encouragement and what isn't always (but can be) more negative like enforcement when someone isn't adhering to our team's culture, goals or expectations. We practiced ways to help our team succeed by brainstorming positive ways to reach out to people and most importantly offer support to teammates who may be struggling academically, socially or athletically. The crew team is a big part of my college experience and I consider my teammates great friends. The rowers in classes above me helped me find my place and voice on the team and now I find myself taking the vocal leadership role to help the underclassmen now. 

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WICB Newscaster and DJ

I wrote and delivered the the 3pm noon-hour newscast on WICB and VIC radio every Friday this semester. I also challenged myself and went out of my comfort zone to train to be a DJ this semester. Every Wednesday night I now have a solo DJ shift where I'm live on the air. It was super nerve-wracking at first knowing that what I said was being broadcast across Ithaca (and streamed everywhere!), but I've found I really enjoy my shift every week and have so much fun talking on the radio. I put off DJ-ing my first two years because I worried I would be bad at it, or mess something up but this semester I finally took the plunge and I am super glad I did. I hope to take on more shifts in the future and maybe work to have my own specialty show!

 

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Porchfest Volunteer

I volunteered at Porchfest this fall. Porchfest has occurred every year since 2007 and local bands play on people's porches downtown. Hundreds of bands perform and volunteers are essential to help the day run smoothly as some streets are closed off to traffic for the festivities. I initially thought I was going to be helping people find the bands they wanted to see but the volunteer coordinator needed a crossing guard position filled on the day of, so I jumped in to help. I had no experience and it was a little scary at the beginning to be directing traffic at a five-way intersection with cars, people, buses and bikers all needing to cross, but I soon found a rhythm in working the position. I found that confidence was key to helping traffic run smoothly. I volunteered for the afternoon shift and really enjoyed interacting with people attending Porchfest. Attendees spanned all ages and college students and locals alike attended. I enjoyed being able to help run a quintessential Ithaca event and hope to volunteer again for it next fall!

Leading Others: What is Conflict?

This SLI was highly engaging and most of the hour we talked in pairs and then collaboratively in a whole group setting about what conflict is and how we handle it. I found it really helpful to reflect on conflicts I've had in the past, both big and small, with friends, family, roommates, coworkers and significant others and really think about how I reacted and handled the situations. I think for the most part I handle conflict well but upon reflection I realized how I prefer to avoid first or when I do talk to someone about an issue I really prefer to do it one-on-one and not in a group setting. We talked about how to define conflict (our definition is in the picture on the left) and how to frame it as a positive opportunity to work with someone to make a situation better. While conflict isn't enjoyable, it is inevitable and knowing how to handle it quickly and effectively makes situations less likely to spiral into something bigger.   

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Leading Self: Let's Get Blunt About Cannabis

This SLI taught participants about cannabis and cannabis safety. It was led by the Center for Health Promotion's program director Michelle Goode, who is a great presenter that makes the sessions engaging. We talked about how cannabis impacts a person's ability to think and act and for how long in addition to safety regarding types of cannabis, dosages, and reactions people might have to smoking or eating edibles. The college and most college campuses in general have a culture of using cannabis and it is important to know how people who are high might look or act when they have taken too much and know what resources are available if people are in a dangerous situation or want help in stopping using cannabis or other drugs.

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Leading Self: Sex is Like Pizza

This SLI was another Center for Health Promotion class led by Michelle Goode and I enjoyed attending two classes in a series about health. Sex is a very taboo topic but even just attending the session that had a main focus on the topic helped make talking about it feel less weird and uncomfortable. A lot of people are partaking in the activity so knowing how to engage safely and with affirmative consent is extremely important. We talked about sex and consent in the context of college and people being under the influence of drugs or alcohol. We looked at the very serious aspects of consent and making sure partners feel safe and in control of the situation. Goode also emphasized that sex can be a really fun activity we should look at it like pizza, because people like different things on their pizza.

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