HDF 415: FLITE PEER MENTORS

URI MINOR IN LEADERSHIP STUDIES, CENTER FOR STUDENT LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

CORE REQUIREMENT FOR THE LEADERSHIP MINOR
SPRING 2016

SERVICE LEARNING & LEADERSHIP CONTRACT

Goal: To identify and utilize my Strengths in a way that that aligns and serves the
mission, vision, values and sponsored programs and activities of URIs Center for
Student Leadership Development.
Activity:
For my learning contract, I plan on working with Ben Ratier to plan, interview and
execute the training for Leadership Ambassadors in regards to Spring 2016 Welcome
Days.
Evidence:
The evidence of my completion of this activity is the Leadership Ambassador Badge
from Welcome Days and the email correspondence between me and the students slotted
to participate.
Annotation:
The URI Center of Student Leadership Development has an opportunity for growth in an
individuals leadership skills called the Leadership Ambassadors. Leadership
Ambassadors are in change of selling Leadership Studies at URI and tell a story of how
having the minor has impacted their lives and their majors. I picked this particular
activity because it is a good opportunity for me to explore my strengths and values while
developing a deeper understanding on what it means to be a leader in an environment that
I am not particularly comfortable in.
As a trainer, I was placed in charge of emailing the students slotted to be Leadership
Ambassadors and creating a Google docs sign-up sheet. I used my strength of
Connectedness to not only get in touch with all the students but to also understand the
responsibility placed in my hands. My awareness of responsibility helped me develop a
mutual respect for Robert and Ben because they were dependent on me to finalize the
sign up list before training began. It is a different position to be in; in terms of training
other people because I had to step into a leadership position despite my not being
extroverted or particularly comfortable speaking in public.
The execution of Welcome Days was the part I was mostly worried about because I have
never done Welcome Days so I was experiencing it along with the freshman FLITE
students. My strength of Deliberative along with my value of appreciation of Beauty and
Excellence were definitely helpful in terms of me understanding what I had to do and
how I should handle myself as a professional. Being Deliberative helped me pick my
actions and words carefully in front of the entire incoming freshman and their parents. I

interpret Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence as the ability to see the value in
everything new or old. Its that uncanny appeal that every individual can see in most
things they do. I chose to see this experience as a chance for me to tell my story because
in Leadership Studies, we all have different journeys that we take but in the end its those
journeys that shape and ultimately define our character. I enjoyed telling the parents
about my experience and how the URI leadership community has had this positive
change upon my life. I used my strength of Restorative to identify what would be the best
approach on how to bond and find common ground with the students and parents. My
strengths of Learner and Intellection really helped me tie all my strengths and values
together so that I can not only understand the purpose of Leadership Ambassadors but
appreciate the purpose of having a sense of self; which is what the CSLD does for me.
This opportunity also aligns with the mission, vision and values of the Center of Student
Leadership Development. The CSLD prides itself in having a mission that Provide
developmental opportunities for all students to become informed, inclusive, effective, and
ethical leaders in the global marketplace through the implementation of learner-centered
academic, experiential, and co-curricular programming. Being a Leadership Ambassador
fits into the mission statement for CSLD because as I made conversation with
conversation with the prospective students and their parents, I was able to understand
what it really means to be inclusive in leadership. The biggest takeaway from this
experience is that the CSLD teaches individuals about themselves and how they can
impact their world and their education. It was a learning experience for me because I am
not an extroverted people in general so being in such a social and different environment
really helped me tap into a different part of my skillset; especially with being a trainer
first then a participant in the actual event. This experience also is a perfect example of a
student embodying the vision of the CSLD; I have utilized my strengths in this
experience in addition it was an experiential learning experience. Learning and exploring
ones leadership platform doesnt only start with you, there has to be that skill of working
with others that improves a persons leadership skill. I can say with confidence that my
leadership platform and policy has majorly developed from my freshman to sophomore
year. It is interesting for me to have a reflection on my journey because it has been a very
rewarding experience.
Instructors Signature:
Student Signature: