I had never really thought before that there were different learning styles, but it makes sense now having seen that I definitely have a predisposition for a certain learning style. This actually did end up helping in the teamwork situation because we were able to help each other understand things. You could have somebody who did not understand something but the team would work together to find different ways of explaining it.
Also, I think the learning style thing is going to help me next year as well. University is a special challenge for me and I am excited to begin this challenge. Having gone through the exercises and learned a little bit about the ways I learn best, I think I can actually make some changes to the way I approach school, and that this will serve me well in the long-term. I really appreciated being able to have such an opportunity to gain insight into something that most people probably do not realize about themselves. Yet, when we talked about emotional intelligence, self-awareness was one of the most important things. So for me I think the exercise was very valuable.
Reflections about Myself
One of the great things about this program was the way I was able to learn about myself and just really get a chance to think about my future. I loved the teamwork and especially learning about things like leadership and motivation. I had never really thought about these things before, and they certainly had me engaging in self-analysis to get a better understanding of my own capabilities.
Thinking about leadership in particular was important and valuable, because it gave me a chance to look into the future. This creates tremendous motivation, because for the first time in my life I was able to see myself out in the working world contributing to critical projects. To envision myself in a leadership role -- something I am not accustomed to yet but that I feel is a natural thing for me -- was really special. It seems clear that this is one of the most valuable components of the program...
When you do not have that much experience with things like that, and you are not surrounded by leaders, it is important to have the opportunity to see it for yourself. Nothing motivates you more to succeed than knowing that not only can you succeed, but you should succeed because you have the will and the ability.
Reflections about Social Justice
One of the big things to take away from this experience is that I experienced a lot of these things for the first time. I got to think of myself as a leader, and to work with really talented people. These are the kinds of experiences you don't always get where I'm from. Not to say bad about my community, but I think that when you think about social justice you realize that some people have more access to these types of opportunities. It is more natural for them to think about these sorts of things and view themselves in that positive light. For me and I think for a lot of people that I worked with, this was a new thing. This was something for us that gives us an opportunity that we otherwise might not have had.
It is a shame to have talented people go to waste, just because maybe they aren't surrounded by tremendously successful people. You can learn a lot from your family, but sometimes you need a little extra guidance or a little extra motivation that comes from knowing you really can be anything you want to be. I feel like some doors have opened for me, and that is exactly the sort of thing this program is for, to open doors for people who might not have had open doors otherwise.
So there is a lot of social justice, and I think it's the right kind. it's the kind of social justice that builds confidence and self-reliance. Because of that I think that the program really serves its constituents well. It has helped me a lot and I am really looking forward to university next year where I can excel, something I had wondered about. For me, I think the social justice aspect has been great.
