This year I became a PLTL leader for the general chemistry course Chem-C 105. This program allows me to provide a place in which students who are taking the course can work on problems, ask questions, and be able to better understand difficult course content. My job as their leader is to not give them the answer to every problem, but to help them develop critical thinking skills by asking them questions to be able to lead them to answers on their own. Through this program I have learned a lot about what it means to be a good leader. It's important to remain professional, but also let students know that you're a student as well and can relate to them. This opportunity has forced me to take responsibility and make sure that I really understand the content of the class. It has also greatly impacted my confidence as a person. I am typically not a person who likes to get up in front of people and I was not always confident in my answers, but this experience has really boosted that and taught me that I do have a relatively good understanding of the content and to not be scared when helping others. While I enjoy being a chemistry PLTL leader and will continue to be one in the future, it has made me realize that I would not want to go into something like teaching as my future career.
I am a part of the Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society at IUPUI. Through this society I have had the opportunity of joining the Service Committee. I get to help plan events and service days where people can sign up to volunteer, whether that be at food banks, for the kids at Riley Children's Hospital, or even just public events that need an extra hand. It has taught me that being a good team member is about working together and giving back to the community. I've had the chance in this organization to voice my opinions, use my communication skills, and also further develop my reliability as a contributing member of a team. It has taught me that I find it personally satisfying to help other people, and it's a perfect fit for me since I want to help other people in my future career.
I am a member of the Food and Nutrition staff at Reid Hospital in Richmond, Indiana during my summer and winter breaks from school. I've been working there for over two years. I interact with patients regularly, delivering their meals to them, getting anything else they may need, and checking their blood sugars. Through my job at Reid, I have learned that even though a task may seem small, it can still be very important. With patients, even just delivering them their food can put a smile on their face when they've been going through a tough time, and checking blood sugars can be the difference between life and death. In order to make sure everything runs smoothly while at work, it's important that everyone does what they're supposed to so that we can help each other help the patients. My job has reinforced the fact that I want to end up working in patient healthcare.
SAPB is an organization on campus I had the pleasure of being a part of for a brief time. While in SAPB I was on the committee called On the Go, where we communicated ideas of fun and short on campus events targeted towards commuters and nontraditional students in order to create a more inclusive environment. Our committee would have to work out the details of our events given our budget and present them to the board for approval. Some of the events we hosted included Stuff a Plush, where students got to stuff their own jaguar, our school mascot. I really liked being on this committee because it showed me that listening to each others ideas, even if you don't agree with them or think they're good ones, can still create really fun events for people. I learned a lot about what it means to respect your team members even if their opinions differ from your own, and I think that's a good skill to have for life in general. Because of this experience I know that in the future I want to do something that involves leadership and making people happy.