My Learning Experiences
The week before classes started for my Freshman year, I got the amazing opportunity to participate in IUI's Bridge Week offered to incoming freshman. It was an opportunity to get familiar with campus and what it has to offer before I started my school year. During Bridge, we were assigned a group to come up with an idea or resource to improve campus in some way that IUI didn't already have. This assignment gave me the chance to meet new people, research about the resources that campus already has to offer, and practice my teamwork skills while woking with other people. Bridge Week not only taught me a lot about IUI and the campus, but also the value and importance of leadership and teamwork.
Bridge Week
Motor Activity Clinic
My second semester of freshman and junior year, I had the opportunity to volunteer for the Motor Activity Clinic that IUI offers each year! The MAC is designed to give the mentally and physically disabled kids in the area an opportunity to get some physical activity and new experiences, while also providing me with the same opportunities to guide them through these activities while introducing me to something I've never done before! During my junior year, I had the opportunity to design and modify activity plans for the client I worked with. The experience was truly eye-opening for me. I absolutely loved working with different clients and learning so much more about them each week!
Over the summer, I attended Camp Brosius in Wisconsin. This was one of the best experiences I have ever had! I learned so many key concepts related to leadership and teamwork at this camp that I will be able to utilize all throughout the rest of my school career and even my future career. I met so many new people from IUI that were in my major or closely related majors that I would not of gotten the opportunity to meet if I had not attended camp. I went into camp skeptical on what it all meant and what it stood for, and I ended up leaving with numerous of leadership skills, unforgettable memories, and so many amazing friends. Camp Brosius was a key memory and an amazing experience.
Camp Brosius
Live Laugh Dance
The summer before my senior year at IUI, I made the decision to dedicate three weeks out of my break to Live Laugh Dance. This volunteer opportunity was linked to one of my upcoming classes, so I originally thought that it would be a good idea to get a head start on the course. Entering into Live Laugh Dance, I had the opportunity to work and dance alongside individuals with Down Syndrome. My responsibility was to modify and adapt certain dance moves in order to fit my partner's needs and help in any way that I could. I was very nervous coming into this experience, but I can confidently say that it was one of the most fun and best things I did all summer. I met so many great people, shared so many laughs, got to listen to awesome music, and made amazing memories! Live Laugh Dance was an immediate eye-opener. The experience showed me that we are all capable of anything we set our mind to and to never judge a book by its cover! Six words to sum up my experience: Memorable, Inspiring, Fun, Enjoyable, Genuine, Awesome :)
During the second semester of my Freshman year, I joined the Orientation Services here at IUI. OTeam has and still is one of my greatest blessings ever since I got to college. The organization has given me so many great relationships with instructors, other mentors, my mentees and opportunities for on-campus involvement. I help teach a freshman seminar class and am a reliable source for incoming freshman to go to for help. I have now been apart of OTeam for three years, one year as an Orientations Coordinator and all three as a Freshman Mentor, and I can confidently say it has been one of my favorite parts about my college experience. I have been very fortunate to be apart of Orientation Services here at IUI, and I can only hope that I have and still can help other students the way this organization did me!
Orientation Services OTeam
