Professional Development - Signature Event
This past summer I was lucky enough to work alongside the best people as an Orientation Leader (OL) for New Student Programs at NC State. This signature event began in January of 2016 and was over on August 12, 2016. After being offered the position of an OL, we were enrolled in a class during the spring semester that would prepare us for our job over the summer. Above is a photo of me as a representative of the College of Education. Fun fact: each of the colleges was represented by at least one OL!
The main role of an OL is to assist new students and their families with their transition into the Wolfpack family. Our days began very early, with a 7 a.m. staff meeting in which we would receive our schedule for the day. Most days, we would receive a list of students that would be in our group for the duration of their orientation session. The photo on the left is a combination of mine and another OL's groups getting ready to go eat lunch together. Throughout the day we attended sessions with our students and facilitated activities to create dialogue about difficult topics. After all of the informational presentations were over, students got to learn a little more about the expectations and culture of the campus through a reader's theater and skits put on by the OLs. The day was concluded with an event called Packs and Rec where students were able to play games and hang out with their peers, and a final staff meeting at 10 p.m. to wrap up the day. 
I had the best summer ever working as an Orientation Leader! This experience made me a better leader and taught me many things. One of the main things I learned was how to speak in front of large groups. Before this experience, I often got very shaky when I would try to present information in front of people I didn't know. I also could not keep a conversation going with someone who I had nothing in common with. Both of these skills will be very useful to me as a teacher in the future. After this experience, I can definitely say that I grew as a person. Along with getting to meet many students in my groups, I was also able to form really strong friendships with 39 other Orientation Leaders who all came from different backgrounds and had many different things to contribute to the team. We spent every weekday working with each other, and went on some fun trips together on the weekends. Sometimes I really can't put into words how much this experience has changed me for the better, and its all thanks to these people! 
At the beginning of this experience, I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into. I was warned about the long hours and the never ending presentations, but this was all worth it in the end. Being an Orientation Leader is definitely an experience I will never forget. Since being an OL, I have had the confidence to reach out to other organizations on campus. I joined Kappa Delta, a sorority here at NC State, in which I have met many fantastic people. I encourage everyone to go a little bit outside of their comfort zone because great things can happen. For me, it all started with a red polo!
To learn more about the position of an Orientation Leader, visit: https://newstudents.dasa.ncsu.edu/studentleadership/ol/
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