I Love My Job! Week 2 COE

The first week of classes are over and  I have officially known my residents for eight days. I think this week went great! I was stressing the night  before move-in day but once the day came it was a natural ease. I loved meeting all of my residents and took on to some basic information very quickly. I have always been pretty good with names so it wasn't to hard to remember. This made me try and remember where they are from and their majors. I am very happy with the amount of information I have gained so far from pure observation and investing time in conversations with them all.

I have students from all over the world, from Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Germany, Taiwan, New York, New Jersey, Louisiana, Kentucky, Arizona, Alaska, Montana, California, and right here in Idaho! Our range is very large giving us all the opportunities to learn something new about a different culture, or way of living. I love having a group from so many places because I am always trying something new; a new language, a new song, and even new foods! 

Another thing that is great about our community is how quickly they have bonded together. Its amazing to see them on the first day not knowing anyone, to look at them today were they could probably tell each other's life story. I am amazed by the progression that has come in such a short time.

Seeing the progression in people from day one to days afterwards is one reason that I have chosen my field of study. My passion is to one day become an Educator; more or less because of the way my students will grow. I am so grateful to have this opportunity and be apart of this communities growth. I will continue to strive for community bonding and ways to allow never ending growth.

Through this short adventure I have found myself more often then not turning down invites from my boyfriend and friends to go out and be with them. I didn't think I would give up SO MANY opportunities so I could stay and assist my community, but I want to say thank you to them for supporting me and understanding my responsibilities. I love each and everyone of them and know that they will continue to invite me until I have a chance to say "YES! I am coming!"

 

>Brittney<

The Challenge of a Heavy Load: Taking on Responsibility - Finding your balance - Asking for help

On our backpacking trip I struggled on the first day to carry my load. It was painful and it just didn't feel right. On the second day I was able to make more adjustments to my backpack so that it was a better fit and balanced out my load much better. The difference that these adjustments made for my entire hike was tremendous. I felt like I could keep up with the group without a problem. Most importantly, I could actually be present in my environment and enjoy each moment as it came. The third day was even better because I got the help I needed from people who had more experience backpacking than I did. The two leaders for our training excursion helped me rearrange the load I was carrying in my backpack so that the heavy load was more evenly distributed and easier to carry. 

This real-world example serves as a great reflection of our jobs as Program Assistants. In retrospect, it reminds me so much of when I first started out as a PA because I saw all of my responsibilities and tried my best to take on my fair share while packing them all into my backpack with my academic duties. There is no sugar coating my first semester as PA because at first, it was painful and it just didn't feel right. I made adjustments along the way and tried to find my own balance which is really the only way that this position can be understood. All of us students have a different load of responsibilities that we are coming into this job with already. In training we all learn about what is expected of us as leaders and organizers, but there is no way to explain to each student how exactly they need to adjust and distribute their heavy load. The process of finding balance takes time and can only be shaped in our individual experiences. But that doesn't mean that you can't ask for help from more experienced members so that your balance can improve. This is going to be a big part of my role as Senior PA because I have experienced some of the same challenges as my teammates will be facing in their new positions. I want to be able to help them find their balance in any way possible, whether it is help with re-distributing the items in their backpacks or by taking some weight from their loads when they are in serious need. This lesson also helped me recognize a lot about myself as a leader who sometimes takes on too much or doesn't realize that she needs help sometimes. I also need to be able to recognize when I need help and go find it so that I can find balance and be present in every moment. Being a strong leader doesn't mean you have to be perfect. Being a strong leader means that you can challenge yourself in new ways but know when to seek out advice and help. We hope that our residents will realize that they need help sometimes and come to us when they need it. Likewise, we need to be examples of that because being the best you can be requires the initiative to ask questions and the openness to learn from others.

This year I hope to challenge myself as a leader in all new ways. I want to improve my role as Program Assistant for my community in a way that has a positive impact that runs deep and spreads far. I also want to develop as a dependable and motivating leader of a team in my role as Senior Program Assistant. I hope to improve my own balance between academics, leadership, and personal relationships. 

Every day I realize just how much I love this job for so many reasons that I come to appreciate more and more. I think that my position as a leader in my community is strengthened by my love for the job because it gives me the energy to demonstrate how much I care. It is incredible to have an opportunity to be a positive influence for students during their first year of college. I want everyone to get the most value out of their college experience and take advantage of all the learning opportunities that life has to offer. Having a good role-model, a lot of resources, and a strong community of support can go a long way to finding value in the living-learning experience.

Prasanna's Hopes and energy

As I started my training as a program assistant (PA), I have noticed couple of issues about myself that I need to work on. As a team we went camping to Sawtooth mountains. The backpacking trip with my fellow PA's and the work of our supervisor and trip coordinator created an environment  to explore a lot about myself and to build connection with other PA's. One important thing that I noticed about myself is that some time I struggle with very minor but impulsive behaviors. One time, one of our team member was trying to dig a hole in the ground to pour the dirty water that needs to be disposed. As my teammate was trying to dig the hole, the soil kept falling back in the hole. That could have been avoided if the soil was thrown far away from the hole. I was watching the soil fall back into the hole. I wasn't angry or mad or anything like that. But, I had an impulse and I suggested something to the person who was digging the hole. Maybe it would have taken few more minutes and the job would have been done but I couldn't wait for that. I was being very impatient by such a simple task. I couldn't hold myself for a while and let it go. I was very anxious to make a suggestion and change it right away. After sometime of this event, I asked a very simple question to myself, "Why did I had to say anything to that person and change what was happening?" I could have just stopped myself from commenting or suggesting my solution to the problem I observed. I could have just observed and not made any suggestion. Maybe the person could have found a better alternative.  Why do I have to change someone else if I am already so far away from peace and perfection?

When, I reflect back on this specific event, I ask myself a very simple question, Was I really at Peace with myself when I made the suggestion or commented to the person next to me? Can I be at peace with myself if I have such an impulse to make the change around me? Is it a bad thing to make a suggestion? I don't think the person next to me was offended by my suggestion but I was at war with myself for my impulsive behavior. Was I at peace when I made that suggestion? I wasn't at war with the person next to me. I think I was at war with myself. Do I always have to be at Peace? The book that we read, Anatomy of Peace, talks about being at Peace and not being at war with others but can I be at war with myself? Sometime I am at war with myself. If something goes wrong for any of the things that happens around me, I always try to question myself before I talk to anyone else and go to war with myself. My hope for this year or maybe for the rest of my life is to learn how to let go things that I shouldn't interfere with. I am going to struggle with the idea of being a leader. If I cannot understand or assess my presence, how can I be able to assess people around me. I know I am going to struggle in finding balance in the war that I am in with my own self to help find balance in others around me.

PA Training Week

Starting something new can be weary but also something that is exciting. While new incoming freshman settle into their new lives, I will be settling into my new position as a Lifetime Recreation Living Learning Program assistant. As a program assistant, I cannot wait to have the students be involved in the activities that they love along with getting the educational opportunities in the LLC program. With the lifetime recreation program, I hope that we can instill healthy habits and help the student grow through activities that they love or activities that test their boundaries. As Plato states, “You can learn more about a man in one hour of play than in a lifetime of conversation.” Being able to share my love and passion for recreation is such an amazing thrill. Just being able to see the student’s love for the passion or to see the start of a new passion is such a great feeling. I cannot wait to begin the year and to be involved in the student’s new journey. 
                                                                                                                   - Stormi

Ethan's Training Week Post

Discuss your hopes for the year.  What do you hope to learn and what ENERGY do you bring to the community.
As the new Program Assistant for the Engineering Residential College my biggest hope is to provide the same, if not better, experience to my incoming residents. While engineering is such a hard degree to pursue, the Community that I set up has the potential to be a great positive reinforcement. I plan on being able to set up an environment that will assist all of my residents in reaching the the end of their second semester with their Engineering hopes still in tact. 
Being a former Freshman in Engineering I know that a big key in success is motivation to study, ask that important question, or try something new and confusing. I hope to cultivate this sense of motivation with my positive energy and general excitement toward all things engineering.
I also hope to learn more about how other think, and go about their thought processes, be it in math, or in general social settings. I feel that this will assist me in creating my ultimate goal of a motivating environment.

COE Introduction Post

One of my hopes for the year is to build a community that feels like a family. Brothers and sisters that may have arguments but love and respect each other enough to get over them. I feel that my community last year was a good representation of what I would like to reach with my new community. I want to keep in mind that these communities are different, with different people, interest, and backgrounds. I will not be able to recreate my Lifetime Rec family and I don't wish to do so. I hope to create a new community that will be supportive, kind and respectful to one another so that they can experience a wonderful community as I did with Lifetime Rec last year.

I also hope to expand my knowledge of a community setting. I want to sit back at times to scan and observe my community as individuals and as a whole. I wish to learn about every culture, religion, ethnicity, and race that is brought into my community to further my understanding of people. With all of these differences I hope to discover new tactics to a strong community. 

I may not be the smartest or most experienced when it comes to people different from myself but I know the importance of every person. I want to use my energy and eagerness to learn about our differences to flow through the community and create a new outlook for those around me.

I have learned through my training thus far that every problem, situation, or task can be taken care of in different ways and still have the same outcome. I hope to use this knowledge to open the doors to new ideas and create an environment of equality. This maybe tough at times but I know that I have a team backing me up all the way. When troubles come my way I have the director of Living Learning Communities, my fellow Program Assistants, my Faculty in Residence, my Residence Director, and also my Resident Assistant all there to help.

I am looking forward to a great year with a new community and a lot of new experiences coming my way.

 

Some of those that are here to help me!!

 

 

>Brittney<

The Program Assistant is a vital part of the Living-Learning Communities Program in the Department of Housing and Residence Life at Boise . These students work closely with the faculty members and residence life staff to implement community development events and learning activities geared toward the Residential College Communities and Lifetime Recreation LLC.  PA’s live on the same floor with the residents of their community and help the faculty in residence with learning outcomes associated with their particular communities: 

• Arts and Sciences
  
• Business and Economics
• Education
• Engineering
• Health Professions
• Lifetime Recreation

This blog will allow the PAs to discuss what they learn on the job, especially as it relates to the books they have read: The Anatomy of Peace (2007), by the Arbinger Institute, and The Radical Leap, by Steve Farber. Each week, come back to learn more about what they are learning.  They will share their passion for "doing what they love in the service of others who love what they do." (The Radical LEAP, by Steve Farber)