I really enjoyed the session with Diana Patten a few months ago. She had an intriguing presentation that was very active and informative. Leaders come in many shapes and sizes and she showed us that very well today. I had not previously known the numerous leadership roles so this was exciting to see. She is also a member of the Career Services team and told us about that as well, which was very informative for me. We ended by having an obstacle course that involved a blindfold. This would have been really challenging if the person being blindfolded did not have someone there to guide them. This was a great exercise to show how much a team needs reliability and most of all trust.

Over Spring Break this year, I went to New Orleans to help rebuild houses with a group of students. I went down there with the mentality that we were going to get a lot done and change the city. In reality, the city changed me. This city was nearly destroyed but what I enjoyed the most was seeing the light in places I never expected. Listening to some of the survivors' stories put things into perspective for me. We have all heard the statistics of how many people died and how many houses were destroyed, but now I know that these people are just like you and me. Some had lived in their house almost their whole life until Katrina came in and left nothing but memories. Of all the volunteer work that I have done in my life, I felt like this is was a true service to our society. We spent a week putting flooring into the house but I feel like I have done so much more. If anyone has the opportunity to travel to the gulf coast to see the destruction, I suggest to take the chance.

Ken Morris’s presentation was fascinating. I did not know a whole lot about energy plants. He articulately wove in information about his power plant with his leadership experience. Morris had some really valuable information about being a leader. It was clear that he had read books on the subject and also had hands on experience. Having graduated from Coe, Morris offered insights regarding getting involved and becoming a leader on campus. His perspective, having already graduated from Coe was incredibly valuable.

I went to the University of Iowa to participate in polling. The purpose of the poll was to see American’s opinions regarding presidential candidates. It was an interesting experience as some people had some weird responses to the questions. I also volunteered again to enter post-caucus polls. Volunteering was a great way to learn more about politics, outside of the classroom.

Diana Patten’s presentation was a wonderful learning experience. Her information about different leadership styles proved to be very informative. Her presentation enabled us to learn more about her leadership experience and recognize our own leadership experiences. The obstacle course that she had for us at the end was a great culminating of activity.

I really enjoyed Erik's presentation. I found the messages of the white supremacists to be shocking. I honestly thought that the KKK was a thing of the past. It was eye-opening to realize that they are still around and actively recruiting members. In a day and age where we consider ourselves to a racially integrated and welcoming society, it was appalling to realize that people are racist. I was inspired to see what I could do to help improve this situation.

I made another trip to Mission of Hope this last Saturday to volunteer for a couple hours. I hadn't been there in a while, so I was amazed when I was welcomed in by Pastor Barb with a warm smile and a hug! She was so excited to have the three of us volunteers there. Again, we did not accomplish much. She had a tour group coming in and the two people I brought along joined them since they had not been to Mission of Hope before. I answered the phone and cleaned up a bit. Then we all went to see the Mission of Hope 24 hour shelter house. It was so nice. Mission of Hope really is a great organization and the two people I took there really enjoyed it. I feel that just by connecting them to Mission of Hope (they are already planning on going back) I did more than any amount of work I could have accomplished Saturday afternoon.

A few weeks ago I attended the presentation by Erik Albinson. I had heard this presentation before in RA training, but it was not any less moving. He touches on some really hard, deep-down scary issues. One could spend a lifetime learning about these and hoping to understand them. He also brought up other points, too.

One theory he talks about I find very interesting: the broken window theory. If one window in a building is broken and is not fixed, eventually all the windows will be broken. The story he shared was were a mayor decreased crime in a large city by 70% by simply painting the subway trains every morning to eliminate the graffiti and arresting those who jumped over the toll wheels.

I have always believed that small acts make giant impacts, and this incident definitely confirms that. By offering a small gesture of kindness or a simple act of leadership, we can have a lasting effect on the world around us. This idea really makes me happy. It also makes me wonder why there are so many problems with hate and crime. Supposedly it could all be prevented by a few simple gestures. This seems to be a thought process that could go round and round in circles forever.

For my hours of community service for this semester I have been working as a Big Brother, Big Sister and I meet with my Little once a week. I love how excited my Little gets to see me, because it gives me so much joy that I'm making an impact on her life. I try to find fun things for us to do like coloring or making projects but also helping her with homework or other things she's stuggling with. I've really enjoyed meeting with my Little and I'm sad that my time is almost up with our school year nearing the end, but I look forward to starting up my visits again in the Fall.

Today Erik Albinson came to talk to us about making a difference in the world. We talked about very difficult issues like oppresion and race. His presentation was amazing and shocking. In my Human Relations class we are learning about similar issues that involve race and ways that we can help stop discrimination from happening on campus and in classrooms. I think that these are very important issues to address and make aware of problems are society still faces today.

When Robert Temple came in to talk to us about leadership roles he shared about running a Nuclear Power Plant. I think running a Nuclear Power Plant is a huge responsibility and I was really impressed on his role as the supervisor of the plant. I think the most important thing I took away from his speech is leadership is something that is hard to define and there are always different definitions on what leadership means. But I feel that it is important for each person to define what they believe leadership to be.

I just returned from New Orleans on a mission trip with twenty other students from Coe this spring break. The power that a trip like this can have on a person is beyond belief. If you take the time to listen to the community of New Orleans they have many powerful words to share and so much trust and hope for what little they have and how much they have been through. The little things that don't go just right in life don't matter so much when you witness a place of such devastation. What hurt the most was that I was in Biloxi two years ago and when I went down this last week I was expecting a dramatic change. A community starting to rebuild instead I saw some areas that were partially re-built and most areas that looked like a hurricane had just went through yesterday. I was very disappointed and frustrated at what had NOT happened in the past two years. I am still trying to understand why. When I first got there I was furious but after a few days I realized that all I could do is work my hardest while I am down here try and come back as much as possible and most importantly come back and tell America that the south is far from being rebuilt and they need our help. Much of the city looks like a third world country and that should NOT happen in America. Therefore I want to spread the word that devoted volunteers and leaders are needed to help rebuild because the people need you and appreciate every nail that is put in and every board that is put up!

Wow, Erik Albinson had an amazing presentation that he presented today. He brought to my attention so many things that I had never thought about. The points that he made and in the ways that he did so were absolutly amazing. I do not feel that someone could criticize how he discussed this very difficult topic. I was very moved by his speech and as a new addition to Residents Life it helped show me the opportunities that I have ahead of myself with the postion I will be holding.

Thursday nights speech from Robert Temple was very interesting. Learning about the nuclear power plant that he runs was exciting. I never knew how much went into running a nuclear power plant before or even what they really did. He had many new takes on what holding a leadership role is. He was a firm believer in that there is no true definition for a leader and I agree with him on that. Leadership is not something that you can put into one sentence it is the type of character that you portray and the life that you live. Each person has their own way of being a leader. He also talked about his career and how he got to where he is now and he said that all the leadership opportunities that he participated in helped him get where he was but being a leader doesn't automatically mean that you are going to get that job/position that you want it is everything put together that makes you qualified.

Diana Patten was a very informative and exciting speaker. For one she taught me a lot about the career services office that I did not previously know. I look forward to using their resources that are available in order to progress in my career. The activity that she did for us was very interesting and involved a great deal of trust and when you have a leadership role it is important to have trust in your peers. Her power point made many good points on what being a leader is and is not. She also pointed out how many different types of leaders there are and that was a new perspective that I had not looked at ever before. Going through high school I always thought that a leader meant that you had to have a higher position but it does not mean that at all and she made this very clear in her speech.

I thought that Katie Roger did an excellent job speaking. It really inspired me to get more involved in campus activities. Seeing people that are just like me so involved in Coe College helped me know that I can be part of all of it too. All of her props were excellent things to bring with her to help us visualize her speech and keep in fresh in our minds. Also having Lucas and Mitchell was nice to have other perspectives because all of them had different leadership involvement. It was great to hear all three of their stories and how their involvement at Coe has shaped their leadership skills.

I really enjoyed the session where Katie Roger came in to talk to us. Its good to have students from Coe relate a message to us because they know what were going through and they've been in our shoes. I really liked what Mitchell said, where being a leader doesn't have to be a defined role like being the president of a club (doesn't require a title) but it can mean just being involved and trying a bunch of new things. And I think thats really important to know. From this session I learned a lot about starting new clubs or organizations on campus and how you can get funding for those organziations

This exercise showed that people can accomplish more when they work together. This is because when I combined my answers with other people I improved my score. This exercise was very important because in life so many things that we do are with groups. If you want to be successful in life you must be able to work with other people.

Ben Zander was the most positive man I have ever seen. He was more concerned with the process of learning rather than grades. It would be great if all teachers would be like Zander, because if that was the case we would not have to worry about grades. This would be great because in college grades put a lot of pressure on students.

These videos showed how important it can be just to go out of your way and help one person. It shows that you can change peoples life. The video when the two guys helped the cook was my favorite, because it just showed that someone can turn their life around with the help of other people. In the future I will try to help people that may be struggling with life.