Key Insights
The Key Insights below are my experiences in and outside of the classroom. Through all of my experiences below, Peer Leadership, interning at the Family Experiences Lab, and serving the Ronald McDonald House of Charities with my sorority, has shaped me and my experience at the University of South Carolina.
Key Insight 1: Peer Leadership Through University 101
It was in my time in University 101 as a freshman, where I learned key insights to what makes the college transition a little easier. I learned that time management is crucial and organization would be my best friend. I also learned that it is great to want to be independent, but there is no shame in asking for help. My Peer Leader set an excellent example of what I wanted to be when I was a junior. I strived to be a friend, helping hand, and leader in the University 101 classroom and beyond. Thanks to University 101, I learned about all of USC’s traditions, resources, and external clubs to get involved in. During my sophomore year I received an email saying I was nominated to be a Peer Leader, and I knew right away that it was an opportunity I was interested in.
Now, on the peak of graduating, I look back at my time as a Peer Leader as rewarding, challenging, and a well worth while experience. I learned that putting yourself in someone else’s shoes is not as easy as some may say. While guiding and leading 19 freshman through their first semester of college, it is easy to be someone on the outside looking in. I quickly learned that in order to relate best to my students I often had to think back to what I thought about most freshman year, what type of experiences I was going through, and how I would handle situations now that I am older. Ashley, my co-instructor, guided me through my Peer Leader experience with grace and positivity. Ashley helped mold my Peer Leader experience into the best it could be, she opened doors between me and our students that allowed them to come to me with problems outside of the classroom. She did so via scheduling one-on-one meetings outside of the classroom with our students as well as allowed me to teach classes independently in order to help strengthen my relationship with the students as peers.
I learned how to be quick on my feet and more flexible to cater to what my students need from me. For example, I originally planned to start the class off with an ice breaker, but at the time, registration was right around the corner and my students requested that I go over with them the steps of registration. I was able to adapt and change my plan that benefitted them in the long run. My biggest struggle was learning that wearing my heart on my sleeve can be helpful but not to take everything personally, whether its student’s opinions about class, myself, or the University 101 program. My greatest joy through this process has been the ability to make connections outside of the classroom with my students. For example, working on community service projects like filling stockings for local children in need or attending workout classes together at Strom Thurmond Wellness Center. I believe that the relationships I have made with my students are friendships that go beyond the classroom and will last for many years to come. Another personal accomplishment was being nominated by my Co-instructor for the University 101 Peer Leader Spotlight. I was delighted to be nominated and chosen for this honor and it made me more comfortable in the classroom.
While being a Peer Leader I have learned a lot about myself as a student, co-instructor, and leader. I have changed for the better in various ways. I have grown in confidence, specifically on the days that I taught class independently, without Ashley. It made me the leader of the classroom and made me a more confident communicator. Additionally, I have developed better interpersonal skills. I have learned to better empathize with other people and my students. I did so by reading each of the students personal journals that they wrote for class. The journals allowed me to be better at putting myself into their situations and helped me grow closer to them personally. The final lesson I learned is people are different. Everyone has a unique style and way of doing things. Being a Peer Leader taught me the lesson that it is okay to be different. The main goal I set for myself in the first homework assignment was to help better the lives of my first year students and their experience at USC. Not only did I have an important role to be someone they can come to and lean on, but I had a responsibility to enforce the importance of academics as a new college student. Three goals I set for myself as a University 101 instructor were to: be a friend to my students, grow my skills as a leader, and make personal connections to professor and fellow students. I feel that I achieved my goals through continuing to practice my skills in the EDLP course and putting them to the test during my time in the University 101 classroom.
The most important skills that I learned as a Peer Leader was the importance of collaboration, flexibility, and communication. I have been able to develop these essential skills to adapt to any job in the future and situations outside of the classroom. The content covered in EDLP 520 such as vulnerability, resilience, and the personality assessment have helped me make connections in the real world as well as the academic world. Being able to learn about myself as an individual and my strengths and weaknesses helped me celebrate my similarities and differences with other students inside and outside of the EDLP classroom. In my University 101 classroom, the skills such as exercising collaboration, resilience and vulnerability were integrated into lessons throughout the semester. In an academic situation, my co-instructor and I dedicated a class on resilience and vulnerability by welcoming a guest speaker from the University’s counseling services to speak on failure and how to accept it by overcoming any situation with resilience. In a real-world setting we partnered up the students to go out into the community to buy small gifts for a child in need that was assigned to them for Christmas. Students had to collaborate with each other in order to complete this assignment outside of class.
I was personally able to integrate the skills I learned in EDLP in my classes this semester. Particularly, being able to practice collaboration with my co-instructor and fellow peers helped me make connections from what I learned inside the EDLP classroom. This not only carries over into my classroom and academic settings but carries over into my personal life as well. EDLP taught me lessons about how to practice empathy and the ability to see different views from various perspectives. Without my experience as a Peer Leader, I would not be able to apply these skills and strengths into my future career in being a Speech Pathologist. In addition, I will be able to apply the connections, adaptability, and resilience into how I apply to graduate school which will in turn, will allow me connect with my patients and professionals in the field. I am thankful and happy I was able to be apart of this tradition during my time here at the University of South Carolina and I would recommend this experience to all who are interested in learning more about the University and yourself. For more artifacts please click the links below.
Now, on the peak of graduating, I look back at my time as a Peer Leader as rewarding, challenging, and a well worth while experience. I learned that putting yourself in someone else’s shoes is not as easy as some may say. While guiding and leading 19 freshman through their first semester of college, it is easy to be someone on the outside looking in. I quickly learned that in order to relate best to my students I often had to think back to what I thought about most freshman year, what type of experiences I was going through, and how I would handle situations now that I am older. Ashley, my co-instructor, guided me through my Peer Leader experience with grace and positivity. Ashley helped mold my Peer Leader experience into the best it could be, she opened doors between me and our students that allowed them to come to me with problems outside of the classroom. She did so via scheduling one-on-one meetings outside of the classroom with our students as well as allowed me to teach classes independently in order to help strengthen my relationship with the students as peers.
I learned how to be quick on my feet and more flexible to cater to what my students need from me. For example, I originally planned to start the class off with an ice breaker, but at the time, registration was right around the corner and my students requested that I go over with them the steps of registration. I was able to adapt and change my plan that benefitted them in the long run. My biggest struggle was learning that wearing my heart on my sleeve can be helpful but not to take everything personally, whether its student’s opinions about class, myself, or the University 101 program. My greatest joy through this process has been the ability to make connections outside of the classroom with my students. For example, working on community service projects like filling stockings for local children in need or attending workout classes together at Strom Thurmond Wellness Center. I believe that the relationships I have made with my students are friendships that go beyond the classroom and will last for many years to come. Another personal accomplishment was being nominated by my Co-instructor for the University 101 Peer Leader Spotlight. I was delighted to be nominated and chosen for this honor and it made me more comfortable in the classroom.
While being a Peer Leader I have learned a lot about myself as a student, co-instructor, and leader. I have changed for the better in various ways. I have grown in confidence, specifically on the days that I taught class independently, without Ashley. It made me the leader of the classroom and made me a more confident communicator. Additionally, I have developed better interpersonal skills. I have learned to better empathize with other people and my students. I did so by reading each of the students personal journals that they wrote for class. The journals allowed me to be better at putting myself into their situations and helped me grow closer to them personally. The final lesson I learned is people are different. Everyone has a unique style and way of doing things. Being a Peer Leader taught me the lesson that it is okay to be different. The main goal I set for myself in the first homework assignment was to help better the lives of my first year students and their experience at USC. Not only did I have an important role to be someone they can come to and lean on, but I had a responsibility to enforce the importance of academics as a new college student. Three goals I set for myself as a University 101 instructor were to: be a friend to my students, grow my skills as a leader, and make personal connections to professor and fellow students. I feel that I achieved my goals through continuing to practice my skills in the EDLP course and putting them to the test during my time in the University 101 classroom.
The most important skills that I learned as a Peer Leader was the importance of collaboration, flexibility, and communication. I have been able to develop these essential skills to adapt to any job in the future and situations outside of the classroom. The content covered in EDLP 520 such as vulnerability, resilience, and the personality assessment have helped me make connections in the real world as well as the academic world. Being able to learn about myself as an individual and my strengths and weaknesses helped me celebrate my similarities and differences with other students inside and outside of the EDLP classroom. In my University 101 classroom, the skills such as exercising collaboration, resilience and vulnerability were integrated into lessons throughout the semester. In an academic situation, my co-instructor and I dedicated a class on resilience and vulnerability by welcoming a guest speaker from the University’s counseling services to speak on failure and how to accept it by overcoming any situation with resilience. In a real-world setting we partnered up the students to go out into the community to buy small gifts for a child in need that was assigned to them for Christmas. Students had to collaborate with each other in order to complete this assignment outside of class.
I was personally able to integrate the skills I learned in EDLP in my classes this semester. Particularly, being able to practice collaboration with my co-instructor and fellow peers helped me make connections from what I learned inside the EDLP classroom. This not only carries over into my classroom and academic settings but carries over into my personal life as well. EDLP taught me lessons about how to practice empathy and the ability to see different views from various perspectives. Without my experience as a Peer Leader, I would not be able to apply these skills and strengths into my future career in being a Speech Pathologist. In addition, I will be able to apply the connections, adaptability, and resilience into how I apply to graduate school which will in turn, will allow me connect with my patients and professionals in the field. I am thankful and happy I was able to be apart of this tradition during my time here at the University of South Carolina and I would recommend this experience to all who are interested in learning more about the University and yourself. For more artifacts please click the links below.
Key Insight 2: Preparation For The Future
I have always had an interest in various forms of therapy. My shadowing experiences ranged from going through physical therapy myself, to shadowing an occupational therapists multiple times, and speech pathologists in a variety of settings, only heightened my awareness of this passion I found. A turning point in preparing for my future was in February of 2018, when I began interning at the Family Experiences Lab. I worked along side of University of South Carolina Speech-Language Pathology graduate students that studied and focused on fragile X syndrome, fragile X pre-mutations and autism. Because of my passion in studying disabilities in clinical and research settings, I was able to take a course called “Understanding the Foundations of Disability” that allowed me to dive deeper into my interest. I used my concern in speech-language pathology to integrate what I learned to explore how Western culture thinks of disabilities and why the power of communication is so heavily weighted in today’s American culture.
In the Family Experiences Lab, that focuses on fragile X syndrome, fragile X pre-mutations, and autism. I was able to learn from graduate students how code mothers with the FMR1 pre-mutation using the Pragmatic Rating Scale. I learned what types of measures on the Pragmatic Rating Scale mean for the mother with a pre-mutation and or if they could be a carrier of the fragile X pre-mutation. In addition to coding interviews of mother’s life history, I also helped enter data of past and present clients in our data base system. Something I enjoyed while working in the lab was attending presentations from people with research experience in the field of high functioning autism. To grow my own knowledge and fulfill my interest of what speech pathologist do in a hospital setting, I spent time shadowing at a PRISMA Baptist Hospital. This not only opened up new doors to explore what speech pathologists do on a daily basis in a hospital setting, but allowed me to explore more into the field with speech and swallow therapy. I was able to relate back what I learned in the hospital to what I was doing in the lab because of the variety of patients I saw on a daily basis, including autistic patients, which I am especially interested in.
In my time “Understanding the Foundations of Disability” course, I was able to understand how disability is viewed in Western culture. I studied how these views effect individuals with disabilities and society as a whole. I was able to explore the role of historical events politics, media, race, gender, and other issues that shape how society views disabilities. A particular interest of mine was the use of the Medical Model versus the Social Model. Speech-pathology specifically was highlighted in assessing the Medical Model. I chose to use the field I was interested in to discuss what exactly Speech-Pathology is and what it does for children that are in need of speech therapy services. I discussed the early intervention treatments in which many children receive in their public elementary schools, much like those I shadowed. Majority of which children have varieties of disabilities in language, voice, fluency or stuttering, articulation, and/or swallowing. My goal in choosing this topic was to inform, not only medically why speech services are needed, but why there is power in language, and why we, as Americans specifically put so much weight into the power of communication. I brought different insights using the social model to further explain what pros and cons of speech therapy and how it shapes society’s thinking today.
All of my experiences in and outside of the classroom have guided me and opened doors for me while doing what I love. Today, I continue to work in the Family Experiences Lab that has grown my knowledge about the field, made connections with students and professors in the Graduate School. I have been able to use my experiences and knowledge to apply them in my interest in what I am most interested in that I will pursue in my future. I have found it to be especially important to prioritize planning for the future in order to determine what you do or do not like and gain experience in various forms, whether it is in a clinical setting, research setting, or your own personal interest. For more artifacts please click the links below.
In the Family Experiences Lab, that focuses on fragile X syndrome, fragile X pre-mutations, and autism. I was able to learn from graduate students how code mothers with the FMR1 pre-mutation using the Pragmatic Rating Scale. I learned what types of measures on the Pragmatic Rating Scale mean for the mother with a pre-mutation and or if they could be a carrier of the fragile X pre-mutation. In addition to coding interviews of mother’s life history, I also helped enter data of past and present clients in our data base system. Something I enjoyed while working in the lab was attending presentations from people with research experience in the field of high functioning autism. To grow my own knowledge and fulfill my interest of what speech pathologist do in a hospital setting, I spent time shadowing at a PRISMA Baptist Hospital. This not only opened up new doors to explore what speech pathologists do on a daily basis in a hospital setting, but allowed me to explore more into the field with speech and swallow therapy. I was able to relate back what I learned in the hospital to what I was doing in the lab because of the variety of patients I saw on a daily basis, including autistic patients, which I am especially interested in.
In my time “Understanding the Foundations of Disability” course, I was able to understand how disability is viewed in Western culture. I studied how these views effect individuals with disabilities and society as a whole. I was able to explore the role of historical events politics, media, race, gender, and other issues that shape how society views disabilities. A particular interest of mine was the use of the Medical Model versus the Social Model. Speech-pathology specifically was highlighted in assessing the Medical Model. I chose to use the field I was interested in to discuss what exactly Speech-Pathology is and what it does for children that are in need of speech therapy services. I discussed the early intervention treatments in which many children receive in their public elementary schools, much like those I shadowed. Majority of which children have varieties of disabilities in language, voice, fluency or stuttering, articulation, and/or swallowing. My goal in choosing this topic was to inform, not only medically why speech services are needed, but why there is power in language, and why we, as Americans specifically put so much weight into the power of communication. I brought different insights using the social model to further explain what pros and cons of speech therapy and how it shapes society’s thinking today.
All of my experiences in and outside of the classroom have guided me and opened doors for me while doing what I love. Today, I continue to work in the Family Experiences Lab that has grown my knowledge about the field, made connections with students and professors in the Graduate School. I have been able to use my experiences and knowledge to apply them in my interest in what I am most interested in that I will pursue in my future. I have found it to be especially important to prioritize planning for the future in order to determine what you do or do not like and gain experience in various forms, whether it is in a clinical setting, research setting, or your own personal interest. For more artifacts please click the links below.
Key Insight 3: Serving My Community and Beyond
In 2018 I found myself interested in the Panhellenic Sorority Recruitment process. As a sophomore, I was nervous by not rushing as a freshman I would feel out of place. I could not have been proved more wrong. As I stepped foot into Alpha Delta Pi’s house on Scholarship Round, I knew that I had found my forever home. I was anxious that I would not be able to balance the scholarship, sisterhood, and service at first. I immediately immersed myself in my sorority by getting involved in the Homecoming Committee, being a Pride Group Leader-a mentor to younger girls in the chapter, and becoming a scholastic tutor. Once I grew my knowledge about my sisters, Alpha Delta Pi’s history, and our committed service to Ronald McDonald House of Charities, I was reassured that my choice was the right one. Meanwhile, during my sophomore year, I took an Introduction to Health Care Management and Organization course. I chose to take this class because of the specifics it focused on in human health care with an overview of prevention and treatment programs. It also focused on management techniques and the different roles and functions of the different health care services. During this class my attraction to the health care field was heightened and brought a new light to see for myself what type of relationships do organizations like Ronald McDonald House have with local hospitals.
I had previously heard of Ronald McDonald Houses in my local community in Greenville. RMHC’s are home environments that allow families to stay together in a place to rest and stay near to their hospitals in which to where their child with a medical crisis is being treated. Their stays are at little to no costs, believing in the statement that “families are stronger when they are together.” There are 65 countries and regions that include 375 Ronald McDonald Houses. The local Ronald McDonald House in Richland County that I volunteer at allows Alpha Delta Pi to provide meals, cook, clean, and anything else the families need so that they can focus on their sick child and his or her needs rather than cleaning or grocery shopping. At our local RMHC, Alpha Delta Pi was able to donate a service dog, Alphie, that lives in the house to welcome families and volunteers as soon as they enter the house. In addition to houses, Ronald McDonald Charities also have “Family Rooms” that allow parents and children to regroup and relax right inside the hospital. Alpha Delta Pi not only serves inside the Family Rooms in our local Richland PRISMA hospital, but provides snacks, “relaxation bags” that included face masks, nail polish, and other hygiene items that moms and dads could use during their stay at RMH. Meanwhile, serving Richland County’s RMHC and taking my Health Care Management course, I was able to directly connect what I was learning in class to my volunteer work. During the Health Care Management course, I learned that there are not many “hospital rooms” that provide families a place to relax and regroup at every hospital. In fact, the prices for rooms like these, are outrageous and cannot be easily afforded by people also trying to afford extensive medical care for their child. Additionally, I learned that health care teams in hospitals are lead in different leadership styles that manage direct and non-direct settings for patients and health care workers. By being directly involved with RMHC and seeing their difference by making everyday life easier for families with medical needs has opened up my eyes to see how important it is to help others in need not only who need medical attention, but their families, and those in the hospital who make the decisions like adding “family rooms” to hospitals and sharing awareness of local charities like Ronald McDonald House to their patients.
To raise awareness of RMHC, Alpha Delta Pi has two annual philanthropy events that benefit Richland County’s local Ronald McDonald House. These philanthropy events give opportunities to serve our local community, in addition to serving at the local house year round. Alpha Delta Pi recently donated a service dog that lives at the Ronald McDonald House that brings comfort and a sense of home to all of the families living there. It is an honor to serve a charity that not only is involved with my interest in the medical field, but that benefits families in need of community and love. I hope to carry what I have learned through serving at RMH in my job as a health care provider for families that could be staying in the Ronald McDonald House of Charities. By being able to relate what I learned at the Ronald McDonald House of Charities and in my Health Care Management course, and vice versa, allowed me to think deeper about what a stay in the hospital means. For more artifacts please click the links below.
I had previously heard of Ronald McDonald Houses in my local community in Greenville. RMHC’s are home environments that allow families to stay together in a place to rest and stay near to their hospitals in which to where their child with a medical crisis is being treated. Their stays are at little to no costs, believing in the statement that “families are stronger when they are together.” There are 65 countries and regions that include 375 Ronald McDonald Houses. The local Ronald McDonald House in Richland County that I volunteer at allows Alpha Delta Pi to provide meals, cook, clean, and anything else the families need so that they can focus on their sick child and his or her needs rather than cleaning or grocery shopping. At our local RMHC, Alpha Delta Pi was able to donate a service dog, Alphie, that lives in the house to welcome families and volunteers as soon as they enter the house. In addition to houses, Ronald McDonald Charities also have “Family Rooms” that allow parents and children to regroup and relax right inside the hospital. Alpha Delta Pi not only serves inside the Family Rooms in our local Richland PRISMA hospital, but provides snacks, “relaxation bags” that included face masks, nail polish, and other hygiene items that moms and dads could use during their stay at RMH. Meanwhile, serving Richland County’s RMHC and taking my Health Care Management course, I was able to directly connect what I was learning in class to my volunteer work. During the Health Care Management course, I learned that there are not many “hospital rooms” that provide families a place to relax and regroup at every hospital. In fact, the prices for rooms like these, are outrageous and cannot be easily afforded by people also trying to afford extensive medical care for their child. Additionally, I learned that health care teams in hospitals are lead in different leadership styles that manage direct and non-direct settings for patients and health care workers. By being directly involved with RMHC and seeing their difference by making everyday life easier for families with medical needs has opened up my eyes to see how important it is to help others in need not only who need medical attention, but their families, and those in the hospital who make the decisions like adding “family rooms” to hospitals and sharing awareness of local charities like Ronald McDonald House to their patients.
To raise awareness of RMHC, Alpha Delta Pi has two annual philanthropy events that benefit Richland County’s local Ronald McDonald House. These philanthropy events give opportunities to serve our local community, in addition to serving at the local house year round. Alpha Delta Pi recently donated a service dog that lives at the Ronald McDonald House that brings comfort and a sense of home to all of the families living there. It is an honor to serve a charity that not only is involved with my interest in the medical field, but that benefits families in need of community and love. I hope to carry what I have learned through serving at RMH in my job as a health care provider for families that could be staying in the Ronald McDonald House of Charities. By being able to relate what I learned at the Ronald McDonald House of Charities and in my Health Care Management course, and vice versa, allowed me to think deeper about what a stay in the hospital means. For more artifacts please click the links below.