What?I first heard about the Residential Leadership Community from a good friend who was apart of the community the year before I came to Virginia Tech. I can remember when he first applied, he was stoked about the idea of possibly living in an air-conditioned dorm on a campus where air-condition is often times hard to come by. The air conditioning certainly peeked my interest too and in 2012 I decided to apply for the community as well. I quickly learned though that the community had way more to offer than just cool air. I quickly made friends with people in the building from all over the state and nation. I was engaged in a leadership course that opened my eyes to a whole new idea and perspective on leadership than I ever thought existed. I was involved in a true community where people were there for each other, had fun with each other and had a desire to learn and grow with one another like I had never seen before.
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So What? |
Obviously the air conditioning and the friendships were a memorable piece of my time in the Residential Leadership Community but beyond that, this experience set a foundation for my time at Virginia Tech and my experience as a student in the Leadership and Social Change Minor. In the beginning coursework with fellow members of the RLC I was challenged to explore my own personal definition of leadership and the experiences that had shaped my outlook on social ideas. Had it not been for this experience and challenge I wouldn’t have dove as deeply into my personal thoughts and strengths in regards to key areas like servant leadership. Additionally, my involvement in several service experiences including the Ivanhoe project truly opened my eyes to a larger need in our own community than I ever knew existed.
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Now What? |
Thoughts, projects and experiences that I was engaged with during my time in the RLC are utilized on a daily basis and truly have been the foundation of a lot of the leadership positions and experiences I have had both at Virginia Tech and outside of school. In particular the exploration of the idea of servant leadership has stemmed a great deal of interest in changing the way I look at leadership and leadership development. That idea and my personal definition of leadership, which I developed during my time in the RLC has served as the foundation for leadership positions that are discussed throughout my portfolio. Additionally it has given me a passion for serving people and has developed a great drive to become a teacher and servant leader in the real world.
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