SAIL

Please check out this prezi presentation! It highlights Nubia Del Carpio’s Alternative Break trip to Florida and it is sure to peak your interest! http://prezi.com/ncfxtg2gkv2z/alternative-break-final/

As the school year draws to a close, I have been thinking about all of the important lessons that I have learned.  Perhaps the most important lesson I learned from our LLC class this year is that there is no single definition of a leader.  A leader can be quiet or loud, soft spoken or talkative, it doesn’t matter as long as they inspire positive change.  Anyone can become a leader and contrary to popular belief, I don’t think one has to be overbearing to accomplish their leadership goals.  I think that leadership is about inspiring others and creating positive change.  I think the best leaders selflessly inspire others!  I am so grateful to have met so many wonderful leaders this year!

Anyone who know me, knows that I really love to watch TV 🙂  I really enjoy reality television shows that focus around competitive sports.  I was a competitive gymnast and absolutely loved it.  I think that this is one of the main reasons that I enjoy these competition shows so much.  Two shows that I particularly like to watch are Dance Moms and a new show featured on CMT called Cheer.  These shows present polar opposite coaching strategies.  Although both coaches can be tough on their athletes there is a distinct differences in their teaching methods.  The coach on Cheer uses the “tough love” method to motivate her athletes, but the dance teacher on Dance Moms relies solely on being tough.  The dance instructor constantly yells at her students and only provides positive feedback to her favorite kids.  These two methods of coaching are vastly different.  What are your opinions on this?  Where is the line drawn in regards to how much a coach should be allowed to push their athletes for positive results in competition.  Coaches are important leaders and are often their athlete’s inspirations.  What is the best way to lead a group of athletes to success?

For this post, I would like to talk about a cause that is particularly near and dear to my heart: The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.  My father died of pancreatic cancer when I was four years old.  Back when my father was diagnosed, there was little awareness for this disease and really no available treatments.  Today, however, there is a glimmer of hope.  More light has been shed on this horrible disease and great strides in research have led to a few new possible treatments.  Although there has been significant advancements, pancreatic cancer is still one of the most fatal forms of cancer.  The pancreas is a vital organ that one is not able to survive without.  It sits behind many organs including the intestines and the stomach.  Due to its location, it is very difficult to spot the cancer before it has already spread either throughout the whole pancreas or to other organs.  Doctors and researchers are working together to ensure that pancreatic cancer be spotted before it has spread, because once this cancer spreads, certain treatments that are known improve the life of patients,  like the Whipple surgery can no longer be performed.  The physicians and researchers need help from people like us!  Any donation will go a long way in the fight to end pancreatic cancer!  As the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s slogan goes: “know it, fight it, end it.”  You can make a difference!

Diabetes is a disease that affects almost every part of one’s body.  This condition is caused by excess glucose in one’s blood.  As discussed in my group’s presentation, there is currently no cure for diabetes.  The disease can only be managed and for some who have severe diabetes it is nearly impossible to manage.  Our group chose to focus specifically on Type 1 diabetes and chose the JDRF’s Walk to Cure Diabetes as our service project.  I was unfortunately ill and unable to attend, but I heard it was a great success!  The organization’s goal is to raise 1.5 million dollars by June 30th, 2013.  We can all help them by donating to a walker on their website  (http://www2.jdrf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=walk_homepage).  Now is the time to help those suffering from diabetes!

This past semester has been a good one, andI have taken a lot away from the leadership class. It has made me realize that I can become a leader in whatever I do. Also, leadership can be portayed in many different styles. There are the leaders that take control of the group and are the first to do everything, then there is the leader that will help everyone do their part and do the behind the scenes work. This class has taught me that there are many characteristics and theories to being a leader. A lot of people think that each leader is the same way, but in reality each leader is different.

Everyone dreads finals. It is finals week now and the stress has been hitting everyone. I know that I need to do well on these upcoming finals. With that in mind, I looked online to find some tips about surviving finals. I found this article, Exam Preparation Tips, which has some key points in it.

The first tip says that you should make a study plan. This can come in handy during this week. I know for me time management is a huge factor in getting work done. The next big tip is to not over stress yourself. Finals take up a huge portion of the grade, but if you stress about it you will do bad. So think positive and that positivity will pay off.

Just like the above photo shows, Sarina always had my back throughout the trip, as every AB trip leader should.

It was January 2012 during Mason’s winter break. I was taking my first ever flight, first time out of the country, and my first ever Alternative Break trip. However, I was not nervous at all. This was all because of one of my amazing trip leaders, Sarina Stephenson. She was constantly checking on me, providing me with anything I may need, and words of encouragement when I began to feel anxious during the flight and in the country of Jamaica itself. It was wonderful to see how one person could ease your mind so much. She was constantly telling me to step out of my comfort zone and in some instances, I did. Others, not so much. Sarina tells me, “this is how I treat participants on all trips. You want them to be comfortable at all times because if I was a participant, I would want my leaders to do the same.” If anybody wants to know what an ideal leader is for AB, Sarina is that leader. She has led several trips during her undergrad career at GMU and is on the path to success. Sarina does not hesitate to let you know how AB strengthened her leadership in all aspects of her life because she is prepared for whatever situation may come her way and knows how to handle it in a calm and responsible fashionable. She will be graduating next month so we need a new leader to step up and fulfill her shoes. It won’t be an easy task, but who is up for the challenge?!

                  

Second semester is over! Woo Hoo. Congratulations everyone on making it through this year. 🙂 It’s been fun, an experience, and such a blessing getting to know everyone. Looking back on the year I can honestly say that I’m glad to be apart of the Leadership LLC.

Besides learning what a leader is and how to better my leadership this course has taught me that leadership isn’t just a position you hold – it’s more than that; it’s something that you grow into. It doesn’t stop. A leader emerges in any type of situation, whether you hold a small role, or a big one. It can even interchange between both types of roles. It all depends on you.

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So it isn’t my turn to blog but I thought this picture was really interesting and I was hoping I could spark some conversation! So what do you guess thing? How does this make you feel? Do you like it or believe it? Why or why no?