College Expectations

In school, the football program that I was part of for three years frequently raised my desire to keep people motivated. I had to wonder at times why our team would rarely make it to the division’s finals and why some kids would even quit with disappointment. The pressure of the tough daily training was many times taking a toll on our cohesion.  It took some critical thinking and then a bit of courage for me to speak up about the lack of peer encouragement and also about the ubiquitous finger pointing. “Losing together” had to be a skill mastered by all of us if we wanted to hope for a future win. I am uncomfortable with the idea that I may have truly inspired a change of attitude in some of my peers, but I often noticed that being stubbornly present on the field for training when many would think it was not worth it, raised motivation in others as well as in me. Woody Allen – the famous film director, is known to have said that “ninety percent of life is just showing up”; this is something else I would like to share.

But at the same time I know that I would also need to be a listener. I find peer feedback to be a powerful learning booster, a motivator and a great confidence builder and I could not imagine better opportunities for feedback outside of teamwork.

Past group interactions had me thinking of becoming a better observer of people’s strengths and limits and even more so when relying on others to contribute. Over the time I noticed that understanding others may also depend on how well I can understand myself. This growing self-awareness and a deeper look into how my own behavior or decisions might influence the people around me have been important personal gains. These gains enhanced my ability to build and maintain relationships and extended the network of people I converse with.

Coming to URI I hope to gain the support and trust of others. I want to be part of a team that makes things happen, changes attitudes and boosts interest.  Fact is this year I did not want to wait and – because of my ongoing hobby of creating instrumental beats, I signed up early with the Electronic Music Association club. I was proudly there April 5th among organizers – did not feel a moment like an outsider, when the “Out Of Your Element” event rolled. Of course, I had a small part, but nothing felt better than helping the show unfold without glitch. Thinking of what took to achieve that flawlessness, I knew that the “journey” of organizing the event was demanding and even exhausting at times for those behind it, but it was also empowering, a great confidence builder and a source of excitement.  Witnessing that outcome makes me feel like having a good start this year.

I want to be involved in leadership because I am very encouraged and willing to contribute, because I am ready to take on responsibilities leading to teamwork success and – maybe not the least, because I dislike throwing orders or bossing around (… and yes, my sea cadet training taught me that).