Something that makes SAU stand out a little from other schools is the amazing community and family that is created by the Honors Program. This past weekend I chose to force myself into a role that I have never taken on before. I became a leader on a camping trip that the incoming first year students go on to welcome them into the Honors community and to SAU.
Normally, I am more comfortable to be the fly on the wall, just quietly observing everything that is happening around me. But I decided to shake things up and try something new. I am most definitely a self-proclaimed introvert; however, I have been working to become more comfortable around people that I have just met. Being a leader for a bunch of freshman who are being thrown into a whole new experience, was definitely a daunting task. However, I knew that taking on this challenge would help me to grow as a person in the long run, so I took a leap of faith and jumped into an overnight camp with 30 kids I met an hour before I left.
I have always believed that in order to improve and work on yourself you need to do things that will push you out of your comfort zone. So instead of viewing this camping trip as something to dread, I tried to be more positive about it. And something that I quickly realized is that no matter how nervous or anxious I was, the incoming students were probably ten times more nervous. With that realization, I was immediately put at ease and became more comfortable with the idea of being a leader and having to talk and fill the awkward silences. Now I may not be the best leader out there, (come on, it was my first time) but I definitely saw that I can stand up in front of 30 plus peers and professors and take command.
There were of course times in which I wished that I could just sit there and let someone else try to fill the awkward silence. However, towards the end of the trip, I found myself wanting to meet and interact with every single person, even if it was to only have a two-minute conversation that we won’t remember having years from now. It was amazing to watching all of the students slowly coming out from their shells and voluntarily talking to one another. Knowing that I was a part of that and may have helped even just one or two students feel more comfortable and less scared, was well worth the challenge.
This is an experience I will never forget. At first, it felt like I was being thrown into the woods, without any training and expected to survive in the wilderness. But by the end of the trip, I found myself easily making small talk and even talking to more strangers back at campus. From having this experience and forcing myself to try something new, I discovered a whole other side to myself. One in which I can be an extrovert and be the person that others can look to for advice and leadership. I am so glad that I took that leap of faith because it has changed me for the better.
