The ROAR Tour Guides are a group of student volunteers who serve as representatives of the university to prospective students. ROAR Guides work to ensure that students considering the University of Cincinnati make well-informed college decisions by giving tours of the university campus to these students and their families and by highlighting why UC is a great academic institution of higher learning with so many wonderful opportunities. ROAR Guides is directly tied to the Undergraduate Office of Admissions, where guides provide a student perspective to potential students, and because so many Bearcats love their school so deeply, ROAR Guides is also a competitive, application-based organization.
The Accelerated Leadership Development Program is an optional aspect of service as a ROAR Guide that also functions as a pre-approved honors experience through the University Honors Program. During Spring Semester 2015, I participated in the program, which aims to develop leaders who can serve not only the ROAR Guides organization, but the greater university student body at large. Through a series of five bi-weekly sessions, numerous readings, and reflective assignments, the program focused on the important aspects of becoming a leader on a campus community. Guest speakers including UC Provost Beverly Davenport and philosophy of education Professor Sarah Stitzlein were invited to speak to the group of students and foster discussions on the importance of what we teach, learn, and know, and how to apply that information into actions that improve our university. Interacting with these guest lecturers and other students, I was able to reflect on the purpose of my actions, on the mission of the university, and on how to lead and teach my fellow students with the reflective understanding necessary to do so. As a result, I have felt the impact of the experience in my role as an on-campus leader, and hope to continue to apply what I have learned to my future endeavors in promoting excellence at the University of Cincinnati.
I elected to participate in this experience for several reasons. First, I thought that ALDP would be a great way for me to get my foot in the door with the ROAR Tour Guide organization, which I had only just joined earlier in the semester. In addition, I felt that participating would allow me to supplement many of the experiences in which I was engaged or had already completed. For example, while I was participating in the Accelerated Leadership Development Program through ROAR Guides, I was also involved with UC Student Government's First Year Leadership Program (FYLP). Both programs were aimed at developing leadership skills in students who actively sought to make a difference in their campus communities, but each had their own respective focuses in how to go about doing this. While FYLP was a year-long program aimed at networking with established campus leaders and implementing projects that bettered campus directly, ALDP dealt with how to become a better leader through the process of reflecting on what passions drive a desire for leadership and by examining specifically the important aspects for student leaders to consider. Thankfully, both experiences have enabled me to be better prepared for the leadership roles I will take on in organizations like GlobeMed and Student Government that I hope to take in upcoming years.
Being part of the program was an experience that rose above and beyond my expectations. What I had seen as simply another leadership development program that would supplement the building of my skill set as a leader quickly transformed into a wonderful arena to interact with fellow tour guides and important university personnel, while also being reminded why I had become a tour guide and why the University of Cincinnati meant so much to me. I learned a lot about being a leader, but a great deal more about myself and about the value of education. In addition, because of my involvement with ALDP, I have seen tremendous improvements in my tours and the kind of passion for UC that I can convey to potential students. In these ways, the program was invaluable and exceptionally meaningful.
Moving forward, I hope to use my participation in the program as a stepping stone to campus leadership opportunities. Whether those opportunities come in the ROAR Guides organization or through other student groups, I know that I will be well-equipped to lead with purpose and determination when I do assume the roles that I hope to assume.
Included below are my reflective blog entries for each of the sessions during which we met.
I elected to participate in this experience for several reasons. First, I thought that ALDP would be a great way for me to get my foot in the door with the ROAR Tour Guide organization, which I had only just joined earlier in the semester. In addition, I felt that participating would allow me to supplement many of the experiences in which I was engaged or had already completed. For example, while I was participating in the Accelerated Leadership Development Program through ROAR Guides, I was also involved with UC Student Government's First Year Leadership Program (FYLP). Both programs were aimed at developing leadership skills in students who actively sought to make a difference in their campus communities, but each had their own respective focuses in how to go about doing this. While FYLP was a year-long program aimed at networking with established campus leaders and implementing projects that bettered campus directly, ALDP dealt with how to become a better leader through the process of reflecting on what passions drive a desire for leadership and by examining specifically the important aspects for student leaders to consider. Thankfully, both experiences have enabled me to be better prepared for the leadership roles I will take on in organizations like GlobeMed and Student Government that I hope to take in upcoming years.
Being part of the program was an experience that rose above and beyond my expectations. What I had seen as simply another leadership development program that would supplement the building of my skill set as a leader quickly transformed into a wonderful arena to interact with fellow tour guides and important university personnel, while also being reminded why I had become a tour guide and why the University of Cincinnati meant so much to me. I learned a lot about being a leader, but a great deal more about myself and about the value of education. In addition, because of my involvement with ALDP, I have seen tremendous improvements in my tours and the kind of passion for UC that I can convey to potential students. In these ways, the program was invaluable and exceptionally meaningful.
Moving forward, I hope to use my participation in the program as a stepping stone to campus leadership opportunities. Whether those opportunities come in the ROAR Guides organization or through other student groups, I know that I will be well-equipped to lead with purpose and determination when I do assume the roles that I hope to assume.
Included below are my reflective blog entries for each of the sessions during which we met.