1) Describe your experience with the Jaguar Leadership Network. Specifically, what were your key responsibilities? What issues/needs/or critical questions did your program or project address? For whom/what was this project/program important? Why was it important? (Please write between 150 to 300 words)

As a JLN scholar I am responsible for building up myself and others as a leader. Thus far my experience with JLN has been insightful and pushes me to grow. I have learned a lot about how to manage myself as well as relationships. One of the largest projects that JLN has is the engaged learning experience (ELE). This project is important for me to practice the skills I learned in JLN while developing my career. One other thing that we have worked on this semester is finding our strengths. This has helped me to understand myself and how I can work best with others. Also as a future educator developing my relationship skills as well as self management skills is important for managing a classroom of young people who need a mature person to guide them. I think of educator and leader as synonyms, and think of them as one in the same. Being an educator means that you are being a leader for others. Along with developing skills to use with my students I have also learned how to communicate with fellow teachers and administration in the building. 

2) In what ways were you able to connect your previous educational training (e.g., academic courses), extra-curricular experiences, and life experiences with the activities and professional development required of the JLN experience to deepen your understanding of your field of study? (Please write between 150 to 300 words)

One way that I was able to connect my education and experiences was through honors college. As an honor student, I build honors contracts, which takes an effort of reaching out to professors and planning. This is what JLN teaches me to do. I also have taken an internship position because JLn taught me to always be looking for experiences to put on my resume. Since JLN has taught me a lot about developing my network and connections I have been more intentional with who I talk to. One other way that I have deepened my understanding of my field of study is through my strengths and using them to benefit me and others. At my current job at the Center for Young Children I am able to read what makes my coworkers strong and how I can work with their strengths and mine. I also have learned how to handle conflict within the workplace and how I am able to approach coworkers when we face challenges.

3) Describe the extent to which your experience provided opportunities to engage and learn from different communities and cultures and to the extent this influenced your attitudes and beliefs. (150-300 words)

The people that I have connected with in JLN have been different majors than me and have different career paths. I think that it is very important to connect with these communities that I am not a part of not only for self growth but also to help my future students when making decisions on what they want to be. Also since JLN has pushed me to take an internship position I have gotten to meet a lot of different people. I work as a writing intern at Shortridge High School along with a large handful of students from Butler. It has been wonderful getting to learn about their lives and majors. Another thing that has connected me at Shortridge is getting to interact with the students who have a different culture than me. The students come from many different backgrounds in which they share with me and I get to learn from. I think that this has made me even more excited to become an educator and learn many new things about people. 

4) How would you evaluate your contribution to this experience? What strengths or skills did you utilize or develop while engaging in this JLN experience?

I think that I have contributed a perspective that not all of my peers may have. As someone who is studying education I have a different view of the world and experiences. I also think that as a person I offer a unique way of thinking that I have shared in class. I would also classify myself as a positive person and am often friendly, so I hope that I have used this skill to connect with some of the other JLN scholars. Future is constantly on my mind so this has helped me plan ahead for the engaged learning experience. Reaching out early was on my mind so that I would not struggle later. During class I was open minded and wanted to learn throughout the process. Although at times in class I was skeptical of why we did things I still participated in case I would learn something valuable to me.

5)Describe at least one challenge you faced during this experience. How did you address and overcome this challenge? (Please write between 150 to 300 words)

One challenge that I have faced in JLN is my mental health during the overall year. In the fall I started strong by managing it and keeping up with things through calendars and planning. I still would hit lows and feel frustrated with myself. Some assignments in JLN would make me feel worse at times, especially the meditation/mindfulness activity. In the spring the start was hard because my medication was off and it was hard to get back on track. During the second meditation/mindfulness activity I reached out to my professor and asked to change the way I did it so that it would not push me too far into the overwhelm zone. I think working with her to find a solution that we both understood was very helpful for me. As far as the rest of my mental health struggles I have not overcome them but have been working on making it better. Attending therapy sessions and managing medication with a doctor has helped but is still not perfect. The journey of this challenge is not over, but is progressing.

-Spring 2024