I'm also sitting here staring at my Orientation Peer Adviser Evaluation. I have to evaluate my work as an OPA on things like customer service, communication, problem solving, knowledge etc. I'm torn by seeing how far I have come and how far I have to go in working for JMU this summer. I have learned so much about myself, my team and my school but at the same time I feel like I can always improve. I'm just avoiding filling it out, so I'll do that later.
Anyways, I'm not really sure where to begin. Orientation. The students. The parents. The team. Myself. Stories that make me laugh until I can't breathe. So much has happened.
Orientation itself, I'll begin there. If I've learned anything working for Orientation it's that we do an amazing job at welcoming incoming students and families. I couldn't tell you how many people have come up to me thanking me for all we did that day and what a great program we put on. I'm so fortunate to work for an office that knows what it is doing, that does it very well and is extremely passionate about serving others and making sure others have a positive experience during the day they spend with us on JMU's campus. Very fortunate indeed.
The students. Are. Amazing. I absolutely love working with first years! I've been blessed to have two awesome groups that are so sweet, nice and have a lot of great questions. They're very shy at first, but I know I was too, and that's definitely ok.
It's so weird that they kind of look up to me in a way. I'm wearing a purple polo so I guess I look like I'm in charge? But in all honesty, I feel like I'm on equal playing ground with them. They're my peers. I've just been at the university for a longer time. They've just been really cool so I feel very lucky to get the chance to know them.
The parents. Well, some of them are really cool! Some of them need to make sure they have their cup of coffee (or two) before they come to orientation. I think that's been the most difficult part of working for orientation, the parents that chew you out or just woke up on the wrong side of the bed. The parents that expect you to fix everything. The parents that want to complain. The parents that want to spend the entire day with their student. The parents that don't respect you. I really wonder sometimes if they realize the OPA's are students at JMU and human beings as well that deserve to be treated like human beings. We don't know all the answers and we can't fix everything for everyone. And it's hard to take some of the negative things they say to you with a smile and say "I apologize for your inconvenience." But the good thing is, the cool parents far outweigh the ones who need some extra sleep. I have had numerous parents and families tell me what a great job we are doing and how they had a great day. I also think there are several underlying issues when a parent is rude to me and it's not just them being rude. Either they drove a long way here, they don't want their student to leave home or they're just nervous about being away from their student for the first time. I get that. And I don't take it personally, I just try to laugh about it later.
A quote I now try to keep in mind is "You can have bad moments in your days, but you should have very rare bad days." I've had some bad moments, but no bad days. Bad days are reserved for tragic events, not when a parent or guest is rude. I can find a way to laugh about that later. It's only a bad moment.
Also working for orientation I've learned that I work with the most amazing group of individuals.
Honestly. I'm not over exaggerating. These people are da bomb.
Their stories, their journeys, their personalities, their strengths, their weaknesses, their sense of humor...I love it all. I don't think I can get through one day without laughing until my stomach hurts being around this team. Another thing I've noticed is that every person on this team seems to genuinely want to do their job and do it well. They're not here to punch the clock and pick up a paycheck twice a month. They're truly here for the first years and because they truly love other people. A lot. I think we are starting to hit our stride with Summer Springboard and it feels really good to work with people who love what they do.
As for me, I don't even know. I'm growing, changing and challenging myself in so many ways. Even more so than Transfer Springboard. This time around, I don't have a partner. I'm facilitating a group discussion by myself. I'm performing on stage in front of 1,000 people instead of 300. I'm working from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. some days. 7 p.m. if we're lucky. And then I'm getting up and doing it all over again the next day. I was nervous at first that I wouldn't connect very well with the first year students just because we're in such different places in our lives. These students are graduating high school, they're focused on prom, beach week, their high school boyfriend/girlfriend and getting ready to leave home for the first time (for most). It started out fine but I definitely had to change my mindset. Instead of walking in thinking that I'm here to be professional, convey information and keep a distinct boundary line...I had to redirect that to realizing that we're peers, I'm here for them to help them transition to JMU and we're all Dukes in the end. Of course I need to remain professional as well, but I needed to let down some walls and allow myself to be genuine and authentic with these first years. I've told most of my groups that I'm really awkward and that we just need to embrace the awkward silences (which usually gets a few laughs) but then they open up to me as well. It's like they realize I'm not that cool, I'm a college student, I'm just like them and I'm here to help them out. I'm not above them in any way, I just have some information they may want to hear.
I guess I've realized being a leader isn't about how people perceive you.
I don't need to look like I have it all together or establish myself above others. In fact, when I mess up and can poke fun at myself it gives others the permission to do the same. I think the marks of a good leader is being on the same ground as everyone else. Someone who says, hey I've been where you've been, so let's do this thing together. And I may have some tips and tricks for you along the way. It doesn't have to be taken so seriously, I can have some fun in there too. Don't get me wrong, I take my job as an OPA very seriously, of course. I am very aware of the impact I am having on incoming students, kind of being the first JMU student they're really interacting with. But I don't need to be that cool person who knows everything. I can be that awkward person who loves to laugh and learn and live life with other people and still be a leader.
I think one of the most beautiful things about Orientation is that no one except the team REALLY knows all the goes into that one day the students and families are on campus. Hours upon hours upon hours are spent preparing and training. No one really realizes that when they arrive at 8 a.m. for check-in the majority of people on campus (O-team included) have been up since 5 a.m. if not earlier getting ready for them. But I think it's a beautiful type of service we do. They don't need to know, because we all know what we are doing is something great.
There are two moments that stand out to me so far that I definitely want to keep forever.
The first was the second day on the job. I had a placement in the parking lot for when people were leaving for the day. It was my job to ask how their day was, make sure they had all their questions answered and left on a good note. Let me tell you, standing in the sun in the parking lot for 3 hours gets old pretty fast. Especially when you say "hope you have a great rest of the day and drive safe" and people just keep walking past you hardly acknowledging you. I had the same placement the previous day as well so I was getting pretty tired. But one girl and her mother were walking toward their car when I noticed the girl was crying. I asked her what was wrong and they stopped to talk to me. Apparently she was upset about her schedule and her classes. Coincidentally she was a nursing major. We talked it over, looked at her schedule and I assured her she would get all the classes she needed. I was able to empathize with her because I know how intimidating and scary nursing can be coming into JMU, but I told her I believed in her and she could do it. By the end of the conversation she was smiling instead of crying. I wasn't able to immediately fix anything for her, but she left on a little more positive note. That was amazing for me. Not seconds prior had I been thinking how I was so bored standing in the parking lot when no one was listening to me wish them a good day anyway. But this one girl changed that. That parking lot placement was 100% worth it if I could help that one girl leave on a happier note. I just thought that was pretty crazy and wonderful.
The next moment was an email I received from one of my first years. It is possibly the sweetest email I have ever received. I'll post just a portion of it below. It honestly gave me chills.
"Thank you so much for sending me that e-mail! You were so awesome and I was so happy to have you as my OPA! I told everyone my favorite part of the whole day was spending time with you and our group. You made me feel so comfortable, and even though you said you were awkward multiple times, I couldn't help but to think the complete opposite the entire day. I went in yesterday exhausted and down but the second we broke off into a group with you, my entire day turned around. You gave great advice along with teaching me things I never knew before. My excitement to be a part of JMU has never been greater than it was yesterday, and I owe that all to you. I even told my mom that I would love to be an OPA someday, and even possibly an RA. Seeing the enthusiasm you all had made me realize how much of a community JMU truly is, and to simply put it, one BIG family."
I mean, wow. Another moment earlier that day at my placement was one of my first years coming up to me and thanking me for a great day and told me I did a great job. I know I don't always need to be recognized or thanked for what I do, and the majority of the time I'm not. But it sure is nice when I am. It's the simplest and smallest things that make the biggest difference. That one "thank you" actually does mean the world to me. After standing in the sun for 5 hours when that one parent comes up and says "y'all did a great job today" means so, so much.
I guess I'll tie this all up with a quote I heard during OPA training.
"You have to make yourself uncomfortable to make others comfortable."
This has never rung truer for me than this summer. I've made myself uncomfortable, put myself out there and I'm becoming more vulnerable each and every day. It's a beautiful thing. I owe it all to JMU and my supervisors who believe in all of us and gave us this incredible opportunity. I am so grateful and I am so excited for what is yet to come.
Cheers,
Sarah
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