My experience as a residential leader this semester has been very insightful.

I discovered
that while I am a good leader, there are places where my skills are lacking. The opportunity to be
an RL during the spring semester helped make me more personable, have greater time
management skills, and be a more outgoing person.
Within the Discipline
During the course of the residential leader class, we were assigned an I am poem. The
purpose of the poem was to describe what we thought about ourselves, starting the sentence off
with I am. While writing mine, I found there where both good and bad things I thought about
myself. The negatives traits bothered me. After I thought about why I believed those things about
myself, I began to think about how to change them. Thinking of myself in a more positive way
allowed me to grow my self-confidence. A good leader doesnt think of themselves as perfect,
they see themselves as an imperfect person who is always striving to be better. As a residential
leader I was able to help some of my residents see themselves in a more positive way. When I
move on to my professional career, this skill will help me to form better relationships with not
only my coworkers, but my clients as well. Pet owners who feel competent and knowledgeable
are more likely to take better care of their pets
Another assignment we completed was an updated resume. I had not even looked at my
resume since I graduated high school. I was nave to the importance of a resume because I
mostly got my jobs based on my personality or skills that I verbally shared with potential
employers. In a truly professional career a resume will be essential. During the residential leader
class I got help from professionals in the Residential Living and Learning department on my
resume. They also pointed me in the direction of careers services who helped to make my resume
even stronger. While I have always been a strong leader, I never had any paper proof to back it
up. As a residential leader I now have something I can put on my resume that, at a glance, a
potential employer can see that I do have leadership experience. Being a residential leader has
been one of the most effective ways to distinguish myself from other applicants.
The strengths quest has been very valuable for me. I was skeptical when I first took the
test thinking there was no way that it could tell me about myself. When the results came up and I
read the descriptions my mind changed instantly. There were my strengths that spelled out who I
was, even describing things about myself that I couldnt put into words others would understand.
The strengths quest filled me with a sense of self awareness. I have been working on developing
my strengths ever since. As an RL, I learned to not only utilize my strengths, but to accept help
from others whose strengths complemented my own. In my professional career, I can use my
strengths to help create a productive and pleasant work environment.
Beyond the Discipline
Chemistry is a required class for my major. It has also proven to be one of the most
difficult classes Ive had to take in college. My first semester of chemistry was particularly
difficult because my professor was hard to understand and didnt seem very interested in helping
those who struggled. Feeling defeated, I took the easy route and only did enough work to pass
with a C. This is out of character for me because I always strive for excellence. My first semester

away from home had run me down and I lacked the motivation to go above and beyond for
someone who didnt care. I took the second semester of chemistry while I was hired as a
residential leader. I am doing exceptionally well in chemistry this semester and I attribute some
of that to the time management skills I had to learn. As a residential leader you have more on
your plate than just classes. I felt a responsibility to residents as well as myself. As a result of this
I had to alter my usual study schedule to fit in time to interact with the residents and see how
they were doing with classes. In veterinary medicine, especially in times of emergency, good
time management skills are essential. When an animal is in distress every second counts. Beyond
that, as a professional I will have many task to perform at once such as treating a patient, filling
out paper work, and taking continuing education classes. Without adequate knowledge on how to
organize my time important things could slip through the cracks and the results could be
catastrophic.
Several of my residents are taking science courses that I have either previously taken or
am currently enrolled in. I felt more comfortable going out to the residents and asking for help as
well as offering to help them. I grew my leadership skills along with my confidence due to this.
Prior to being a residential leader I would have likely stayed in my room to figure things out by
myself or seek out people who I already knew for help. I was able to fulfill my belief that a
leader is only as good as their ability to empower others. As a veterinarian I will be required to
work with veterinary technicians. In order to make my job more efficient I will need to utilize the
skills I learned to teach them what to do and how to do it properly.
Online classes often prove to be more difficult for people who are not motivated or
responsible. I have always had both of those characteristics so an online course seemed like it
would be a breeze. One thing I did find out quickly was that if I did not have my assignments
spelt out in a planner, it was very easy to get behind or forget things. The additional
responsibilities of being a residential leader meant that I needed to get a planner and actually
keep up with it. I found that keeping a well-organized planner made my life a whole lot easier.
Veterinarians often have a lot of things going on when it comes to patient care. The
organizational skills will help to keep me organized and efficient.
Beyond Academics
The Tarleton Pre-Vet Club has been a great experience for me. Through the club I have
had the opportunity to meet several students who share the same passion for animals that I do. I
have been able to learn more from their experiences as well as share my own stories. To be more
involved, I ran to be an officer in the club and was subsequently voted into the treasurer position.
As the treasurer, I had the opportunity to learn about managing a budget and planning club
events. Many times I have had to step up and make my voice heard which isnt something Im
comfortable doing. Being in the club has helped me gain connections with other students who
have been able to help me with class assignments. Alumni who are currently in veterinary school
have come back to Tarleton to speak with our club and let us in on the secrets to making yourself
a better applicant for veterinary school which has been invaluable. When applying for veterinary
school, I now have the tools to make myself the best applicant possible.

This year I choose to help out with the FFA contest that Tarleton hosted. Helping with the
contest was some of the most fun I have had while at Tarleton. The first contest I helped with
was in an area of agriculture that I had no experience in. While talking to the high school
students who were competed I learned a lot that I never knew, they helped me walk away a more
knowledgeable person. The second contest I helped with was in an area I was extremely familiar
with. During this contest I was able to return the favor and teach the students more than their
classes required. I was elated at the fact that they were so interested in veterinary medicine and
eager to learn more. There were several students who said they couldnt wait to come to Tarleton
and hoped to see me while they are here. The two experiences made me more personable. I was
able to talk to the students in a manner they understood and made them feel respected. As a
veterinarian I will need to be able to speak and act in a manner that makes the client feel
validated and that experience truly helped.
Interconnectedness
Every day should be seen as a learning experience. We must also realize that everything
we do builds onto each other. The things I have learned from being a residential leader, school
work, and beyond all work together to shape who I am. Being a leader is not exclusive to when I
am fulfilling my RL duties. Whether I am in class, in Bender office, or alone in my room, I must
always live up to my own core values and the universitys.
Global Awareness
Coming into the spring semester as a new residential leader, I had some reservations. My
biggest fear was that I would fail to make connections with my residents. I tried to come into the
experience with an open mind and a welcoming smile to combat this fear. Throughout the
semester I had to come to terms with the fact that not all the residents were going to want to form
a significant relationship with me. Though I didnt complete give up on getting to know the
residents who could care less about knowing me, I did focus more time and attention on those
who did want to form a connection.
Another issue I was worried about when I began was crisis management. The thought that
someone may choose to hurt themselves or someone else was frightening. I wasnt sure exactly
how I would deal with a situation should it arise. Initially I was also uncomfortable with the
knowledge that I couldnt physically help a student if I saw a need. To help myself feel more
prepared for those types of situations I referenced that things I learned in my psychology class as
well as the things I learned in the first week of training with Barbara and Ben. Asking lots of
questions also helped me to understand why certain policies were in place for dealing with
potential crisis situations.
One of the stereotypes I dealt with when I started the spring semester was the belief that
my younger residents would be childish and hard to deal with because they were younger than
me. Experience has shown that most of the students who have entered college in the last year or
two show very little respect for others or objects. There has been some evidence of this that I
have observed during my time at Tarleton. Part of my job as a Residential Leader is to help
develop the knowledge and skills of those residents I am entrusted with. My belief is those who

lack respect also lack self-confidence. To combat the stereotype, I commended students who
showed exceptional maturity. In my interactions with residents who showed less respect for
others, I tried to change their perspective on the situation. If the resident had a messy room I
would mention the benefits of a clean room. When a resident lacked respect for another resident I
would mention the age old quote treat others the way you want to be treated. My hope is that I
helped at least one resident to be a better applicant for jobs or positions as a result of more selfconfidence and respect for others.
Broader Implications
Diversity is a universal issue that residential leaders deal with on a daily basis. Tarleton
strives to diversify its campus to accommodate the wide variety of people who attend. The
Residential Living and Learning department deals with accommodating students and creating an
environment where students feel comfortable. This task is mostly entrusted to the RLs in the
residence halls. It is our job to maintain environments conducive to learning and creating a space
where students feel safe enough to be themselves. There is also a lot of diversity within the
residential leaders that some fail to take advantage of. All the RLs have different stories and
experiences that we can all benefit from in some way.
Suicide has been a big issue in modern times. The epidemic of bullying has broadened
with the introduction of several different social media sites. Residential leaders have the
additional duty of being a sounding board for the residents. Residents should be feel as if they
can speak with their RL about whatever is bothering them. Developing a good relationship can
help to reduce the incidence of suicides on college campuses.