RSO Involvement

Clubs and Sports are really awesome programs to be apart of at CMU. If you got nothing else better to do then try going to one of the RSO’s that are found on campus. They have a wide variety of programs that are offered to the public. For myself, I found a couple that I got invested in for a little bit at CMU. When it came to picking an RSO I had to work with my school time and my study time. I couldn’t go back to back to back like I used to or else I would be bogged down. I have been discovering portions of my life that I have not reflected upon due to the complexity of figuring out self awareness. It sort of became this elaborate design that manifested because I never could figure out this puzzling puzzle of who I was. I decided though after the summer of 2018 that I would take a rest for self caring and self help. Why this is important to know is because the RSO that I chose to help me get myself feeling self motivated was CMU TWLOHA chapter. TWLOHA which stands for “To Write Love On Her Arms” is a club about self care and health. It was a group of people that cared to pick themselves up and spread that around the campus. I was the only guy that was in the club and I was still accepted. I was deeply involved only for myself because I needed a place for an hour to just reflect and not worry about anything. I didn’t give myself daunting tasks so I gave myself the position with unison census of being the rep to go to the Monday night meetings campus council to bring back information to our group. My involvement was close with the group for the first semester than the 2nd semester because I had to balance more time to my classes. I did a lot for the group and it went recognized.

Lead Team

Flash back to the start of my sophomore year! I had no clue what Lead Team I was on until a week before the event. It was in fact the new Lead Team for the beginning of the year picnic for everyone. It was a Hawaiian theme event. I did not at all to put in any input because the lead chair people already put it together in the summer. It was honestly a relief though because I could count on the lead chairs. I guess what I could talk about is how I saw old faces and the LAS seniors. It was great seeing everyone for the first time since school started. Fortunately, I met Shelby Arnold my mentee at this event and I got to learn more about her. There isn’t a big take away that I can honestly say but I guess I can say is that I could count on the leaders and still be as involved. I did help carry boxes and get the pizza out. It was a cool event.  \

PSC 105L

Never is there a time that I don’t ever think of my rights as a citizen of the United States. I am always exercising my rights as a free person of this country. I feel like if I gave up my rights for security I will not have either. These words were spoken by Ben Franklin but ultimately they were quoted by my government professor Thomas Stewart. Immediately, in the first week of class he got to know us personally. He asked me what I wanted to be and I said an Environmentalist. He said that why aren’t I already and I was confused. Apparently, you don’t need a special title or influence to say you are an environmentalist. Therefore, I can officially say that I am an environmentalist who advocates for the healthy rules and regulations that will govern the environment and I will support and find support to conserve natural resources and preserve habitats. You could say that I learned a lot from this class and it would not be at all wrong to say. Last time I took a class for U.S government was 10th grade year and I failed the A.P Test but I passed the class. Let me tell you that the A.P test is way harder than the government college classes you hear about. That was a relief to know that I was in good hands with this professor I specifically chose this class over SOC221 because I love government work. This class really was great and professor Stewart was grander. I had a tough time taking notes but as a matter of fact when it came to the exams there was amazement when I could answer the questions with out a lot of studying and difficult. I suppose it’s because we really discussed on key legal cases and rules that it was ingrained in my brain. I am really happy with the results for I passed the class with probably the highest remarks I ever received in college so far. I went in not really sure if I could pass because that AP test really put fear in my gut but I managed and got through it all. I think that was an important lesson to learn is that I have nothing to fear except fear itself. I am fortunate for being his last class he ever taught and I was not at all in the least bit dissatisfied with any part of it.

What I could take away from this is that leadership is tough but there are reasons why its tough in government because of the hard work and dedication to shape it to what it is right now. I find that really cool that leadership at the government level isn’t clean cut but a working progress like myself. I am so happy with this result and I look forward to my career field in environmental studies. 

LEAD team

My LEAD team was amazing this year. We put on some great events for the LAS community. The official title of my team is Special Events. What we did was we put on minute to win it, LAS on Ice, and the Detroit Tigers game in the summer. Our leader was Kaitlyn Cox. She was the head chairmen for our group. Her work helped put together our program. Our meetings were held on Monday nights usually around 8:00pm down in the conference room of Barnes.

Minute to win it was our first event that we all helped with. Every Monday in the fall we would brainstorm ideas of what games ad activates we wanted to put on for the event. Then when we got all that done we would make flyers and a promotional video. I was apart of that video and it was awesome. Finally, we made sure to pay for all the materials and make sure to promote to the entire LAS group. Unfortunately, on the day of the competition another event at the Towers trumped our event and a majority of people went to the event. I believe it was a magician who did illusions. Anyway, the remaining people who could come had a blast and everything was worth while.

The next event was LAS on Ice which is a tradition ice skate event. However, new to this year is that we promoted to leadership safari participates. Again, we made sure to book the ice rank, make flyers and a video, and we also promoted to everyone involved in any type of leadership activity. On the day of we had a line from the beginning to the entrance. We were able to raise a ton of money from this event. Also, we had money left over which goes directly into our funding for future programs. I had a lot of fun and skated with my friends.

Finally, we wrapped up the year with making the Detroit Tigers game event. I believe Kaitlyn Cox had organized it and all, for we didn’t meet after February. I think it will be awesome and it will be a great way to get people pumped for next year at CMU. What I took away from this was that it takes a lot of hard work to get events planned. It doesn’t take just one person, but it takes a whole group to make events possible. What I wanted our of this experience was a chance to make an event people would appreciate and which they did. What I plan to do now is I will still keep being involved with attending events, and I will be able to make future events later in my life. I loved being on this LEAD team and I hope future LAS students will too!

LAS in the D reflection

In early February, my LAS cohort took a trip to Detroit. This was my first time ever being in the city of Detroit. It was not at all like everyone said it was like. They mentioned violence on the streets, run down buildings, many homeless people on the streets. Perhaps they were right 5 years ago, but the city of Detroit now is a marvel. Beginning of our trip we went to Jalen Rose Leadership Academy. My group facilitated 5 students who were motivated to do our fun activities. Some of the games included mine field, eagles nest, and who’s bringing what to the picnic.

After our see you laters we went to the Quicken Loans building. I felt immersed in a futuristic city than what I expected in downtown Detroit. At Quicken Loans we had pizza, pop, and salad. Then after dinner we got a debrief with the vice president of Quicken Loans. He explained that Quicken Loans has donated countless hours and charitable dollars to the city of Detroit. Afterwards, we got an extensive tour of the building. We departed that night to the Detroit Institute of Arts. I was by myself for the length of the trip, but I didn’t mind. I wanted to be alone and take this time to reflect and look at various paintings. The final part of the trip of the night was we went to the Outdoor Action Center near the river overlooking Caesars Palace which turns out to be Canada. What I learned about this Action center is that it used to be a run down building that overlooked a garbage pile along the river bank of Detroit. In the morning, we went to the Cass Community Social Services, and this was not at all like I was expecting. I was expecting a place where people slept, but it was a place that people came to and help make food for the homeless, earn money for the center, make products, and gave people a second chance. The last length of the trip was going to Great Lakes Crossing and home.

What I learned in this trip was that Detroit isn’t what people made it out to be. It wasn’t in ruins nor did I see the mayhem people told me about. Detroit is coming back as a productive city. What surprised me was that Detroit wasn’t crowded with people on the streets. Everyone had places to be and there wasn’t a congested time that it became overcrowded with people. Thus, this made me realize that people had jobs and a life in Detroit. What made me happy was that Quicken Loans is offering to help clean up this society. This random act of kindness is also seen at the Cass Community building. Their organization too is giving people second chances and offering anything they can to help their city.

At the Detroit Institute of Arts, I was able to get help from volunteer workers. I had no idea that people would give their time to support their local art museum especially in Detroit. It was amazing to talk to the Detroit volunteers and ask them what makes their city great. They responded that it’s because of local shelters and businesses taking the time to take care of the city. One mans reason for volunteering was to give back to his local community in someway. I started to think also how the leadership academy kids are going to do when they lend a hand. That this is their home and they are lucky, and the best way to show appreciation is by also volunteering their time to their community.

What I might do in the future as a leader is becoming more involved in the development of Michigan. I should take pride in my state and what better way of doing it is getting involved in my neighboring counties business. Another thing I should do is promote issues happening today. As of today Flint still needs help. The bests things I can do as a neighboring city is send a care packages and a PSA from time to time of important things my state needs from me. I would love to keep up to date on issues locally too.

As a leader I need to be able to adapt to my surroundings. Perhaps, I need to take it easier and slower, for anything can happen. There are key times that are fixed, but other times I need to go with the flow of what is currently happening to me instead of panicking. The numerous opportunities to better myself should not go unmissed. I should fact check certain current events, and I should tell others too.

What specific leadership skills Detroit needs right now are people who can listen, people who can serve, and people who can guide others in helping with the progression of the city. Leadership isn’t necessarily found in qualified leaders but in random acts of kindness. I think the development of the city can be made first by its own people. Then after start to attract more people in a great cause. By listening to the people volunteers can suit their needs, by serving the community it lessens the burden on some,  and with the guidance of others Detroit can become a popular city again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here I come Detroit

I know nothing about Detroit except that it is home to the Detroit Tigers. I think that is pretty sad on my part. In fact, I only go to Detroit for Tiger games when I can go for free. It isn’t just me though. Plenty of people don’t know this grand city. It was home to the car manufacture back in its hayday. The motor city was a hustling and busy place. However, over time it has fallen into what I have heard a state of “ruin”. I wish I could put my two cents in, but I must wait till I get there. On a light side of things I am going this weekend for a leader based program. I can’t wait!

Perhaps the social issue I am quite familiar with is poverty. People living off welfare, on the streets, and without the proper necessities to live. It is devastating to know it happens in my own home state. How I learned about this is by the ear. People talk about Detroit as if it is on fire every other week. I don’t think it is that bad I want to be optimistic about this city. I hope to finally realize what people are saying.

The vision of the leadership institute is to “prepare the next generation of individuals who will act responsibly to improve the quality of life”. We find leaders of today. Perhaps a leader could be in Detroit. It’s up to a community of leaders to get to them and help them in their community. I believe that as leaders at CMU we have the responsibility to further our learning of service experience. There are workers right now in Detroit that clean up the community everyday. This experience and what I hope to get out of it is to understand the struggle and the commit people have to help grow a community.

What I think the trip to Detroit will help me grow in is to understand the purpose of the LI. Even though it states, “to prepare Michigan students and citizens for leadership roles in an increasingly complex and challenging society” I need to know where I fit. How will I make that difference?

Ted Talk Reflection

Recently in the month of February I watched a Ted Talk video. It featured a man name Simon Sinek, and he introduced the audience to a reason of how some leaders/business manage to be more successful than others.

Simon Sinek took a pen and pad and drew a huge circle. He then proceeded to draw two more circles within that huge circle. He labeled the outer most circle “What”, the middle ring “How”, and the inner circle he wrote “Why.” By doing so Sinek points to the audience that most companies work from the outside circle into the inner circle. Only a few companies like Apple, as a primary example, started from the “Why they do this” to the “What they do.” They made eventually more money than any other name brand computer company.

This trick is no secret. Most leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. started with “why.”MLK is best known for civil rights movements. He proclaimed, “I have a dream” and not “I have a plan” which differs greatly. He knew deep down in his soul that why he did it was that he was motivated by making equality throughout the whole United States of America. Then he proceeded to do demonstration’s and speeches across the southern states for his “How.” Finally, he tells people he so happens to be a civil rights leader.

I was truly inspired by this Ted Talk that it made me reflect back at all my previous engagements and how I presented myself as a leader to others. There was times that I had huge successful points in my Boy Scouting career, and then there wasn’t so great of times. Perhaps I should focus solely on helping and teaching others rather than telling them my qualifications of what makes me capable of being a leader. I currently have on my desktop a notecard with just the words, “Why do I do this.”

It’s also important to inspire others. A personal goal that I have is to inspire others to carpe the heck out of their diem. When I was growing up I was my introverted than extroverted. Then it changed as soon as I went into middle school. Every year my confidence in myself flourished. To this day I still hold back at times. However, my personal growth has increased greatly.

My good friends around me were well introverted. It changed though when they went into high school. It’s good to see life rapidly get energetic in people. I love to see people be movers and doers. I understand that people prefer being introverted, but I want them to know anytime they want to act crazy run wild it’s okay. Thinking outside the box is a way to keep the mind imaginative.

 

Mystery Reflection

Leadership comes from a no. Yes, you read it correctly. I didn’t mean to put a yes. I did put the two letter word. I want to more outside the box when formulating a response to this question.

My personal thought is that if everything in the world worked perfectly then we don’t need leadership. However, today I am the leader, but I am the leader for some people said, “No”. I took the initiative to direct and guide others not because I said yes, but because others said “no”. I wanted to help others, because others lead them away with a “No”. This concept is far-fetched.

A person who seeks change is more often than not told no, and then once they find that certain someone then they will be hearing a yes. Not everyone can achieve greatness without failing. It’s okay to fail and be lead a stray. However, if you earnestly believe in something or someone there is a good chance you will bounce back.

George Washington our great leader in charge of the American Army in fact loss plenty of battles within the first 3 years. He probably heard many people tell him he couldn’t do it. However, with his earnest belief for a country of independence he led the Americans to victory. It takes time to build the momentum of a leader. It will take criticism and distrust. However, the leader will be victories when they stick to their beliefs and make themselves stronger.

Failure is an option. It will be an option, but don’t let failure turn into neglect. If you keep working at the leadership skills you have then you will do wonders. Still to this day I go to seminars about leadership, participate in leadership games, and provide trainings about leadership. Every time I do one of these things I grow in small ways that will leave a lasting impact.

 

 

Current Leader Reflection

Director Dan Gaken from the Leadership Institute at Central Michigan University put it best when he said, “You are the leader of today.” Unfortunately, at that moment when he said that I couldn’t think what he meant by it. Even though it obviously means I am the leader of today what exactly does that guarantee that I can do for my followers? Plus, what qualifications do I have to lead?

Looking back of how I have risen up from being that follower to a leader I was influenced by many great and notable people’s words and guidance. These people aren’t not at all alive to this day. However, there are a few who are alive. One person in particular saw me as a potential leader  and put me under his wing, so I may grow with the confidence I need.

Robert J. Richard is my mentor who I greatly admire. His life has been filled with an adventure that was granted to him by becoming an Eagle Scout. Born in 1935 he was raised under his parents and with a scouting background. He graduated college at Carnegie Mellon University, joined a Jewish fraternity (he is actually catholic), went to the 1955 world championships w/ the Green Bay Packers (he was on the team), became an Eagle scout, became a scoutmaster, earned a degree in Space Engineering, sent a man on the moon w/ NASA, became a well known chef, works on radios, etc. There is so much about him that I could talk for at least a good 2 hours. However, his life is worth more than 2 hours. He could be just yanking my chains, but I have seen proof in his words and in the bond that we share.

Mr. Richard (my adopted family member) has also successfully mentored me in getting my Eagle. This dubious award is my milestone that best defines who I am. Usually, I tell people what I did, but when they ask me who helped I would always say my mentor Mr. Richard.

Right now he is very sick and has cancer, and I am sad with tears I am holding back. I can’t do much except pray. I always intend to go see him and his wife Sue. They are my family. When the day comes and he is no longer physically there I won’t forget him. I won’t ever dare think he is dead, for his life and memory will live on. I will tell my friends who I have to thank for my life. I will tell the world if I have to. Robert J. Richard is the most interesting man in the world. What I will do is I won’t let my Eagle Scout Award go in vain, and I will live everyday. Carpe the heck out of your Diem.

Leadership Lecture

We had a guest speaker come in around the end of September, and she talked about how Flint is still in need of water. I assumed that the crisis was over when I stopped hearing news about it. Unfortunately, it hasn’t stopped. She talked about how it takes a lot of bottles of water to clean, cook, and groom the part of Flint that this crisis has impacted. She gave us an opportunity to come to Flint and help pass out water to people of Flint. I wish I could of went, but I had to go to a conference in Rose City. Nevertheless, what I took from it is that I should read more about current events and keep up with them. Also, to expand on that,  as a leader it is often hard to be on top of everything. It helps leaders to an extent to use a planner and or tape recorder. However, a leader should use all their resource to be informed and involved. This means that by asking others, putting sticky notes everywhere, and  having some minimal routine. This Flint water crisis has been going on for at least 3 years not. It is sad to see this city not yet at the end of this nightmare. I heard recent news that to get Flints situation under control it will take  3 more years to get treated water back  into the city and 3 more years to get people moving again. I wish this event didn’t happen and could of been avoided.