Tagged: Orientation
Transforming Students into Leaders
Poise. Professionalism. Team-building skills. Resourcefulness. Students in BU’s Summer Leadership Program gain far more than a paycheck.
By Corinne Steinbrenner (COM’06)
Photo courtesy of BU Orientation
Recent BU graduate Adanta Ahanonu is preparing for a big presentation to her company’s senior leadership. She’s only 24, and she’s only been with the Hanover Insurance Group for a year and a half, but she’s not sweating it. Public speaking is a skill she mastered years ago.
In 2008, during her sophomore year, Ahanonu (CGS’08, SMG’10) was one of about 90 BU students selected for the University’s Summer Leadership Program. Each year, students interview for these coveted positions in January, are notified of their acceptance in March, and in April begin the rigorous training that will prepare them to lead BU’s summer Orientation and community service programs. As coordinators for the First-Year Student Outreach Project (FYSOP) or advisors for BU Orientation, these students accept the responsibility of donning BU’s official red polo shirts and introducing incoming freshmen and their families to the University community.
Orientation Director Shiney James (CAS’99) organizes the 100-plus hours of training that helps these students become experts on Boston University and masters of public speaking, conflict resolution, etiquette, organization, and teamwork. “We take a lot of pride in working with our students and helping them grow as individuals—not just to do this job, but to go out and be successful afterwards,” James says.
Student advisors are introduced at freshman Orientation. Photo by Kalman Zabarsky
Case in point: Ahanonu vividly remembers learning a lesson in professionalism in her early weeks as an Orientation student advisor. “There was a weekend when I had to be in Philadelphia for a family function,” she recalls. “I emailed Shiney a day or two before saying, ‘Hi Shiney. Just wanted to let you know that I can’t make training. Thanks for understanding.’ I thought that was a fine letter at the time, but Shiney wrote back a long email explaining why my email was out of line, what the best way to request that time off would have been, and how far ahead of time I should have written the email.” The response initially hurt Ahanonu’s feelings, but then James explained that she wasn’t simply being critical, rather, that she wanted Ahanonu to understand that her future success would depend on being able to communicate professionally with her employers. “And that’s something I’ve taken into my career—how to effectively and appropriately communicate with others,” Ahanonu says.
Training in teamwork and communication aren’t the only perks of a Summer Leadership Program position. Students are paid an hourly wage and are given free campus housing for the summer—a valuable commodity. They attend workshops in creating résumés and cover letters, study group dynamics, learn every inch of BU’s campus, and meet BU staff members who can support them throughout their college careers. “I always tell our students to find a mentor over the summer,” says James. “They get to meet academic folks, student-life staff—a whole array of different professionals on campus who are not faculty who can mentor them in a way that’s different and enriching.”
Incoming freshmen pose for a photo with their student advisor. Photo courtesy of BU Orientation
Veronica Faller (ENG’13), who served as an Orientation student advisor last year, says the program helped her become more self-aware. “I learned a lot of things about myself—the way that I work with other people, the way that I convey information. So it was a summer of self-discovery, in addition to all the things I learned about BU.”
“It’s a really fun summer,” Faller adds. “You get to meet a lot of people—many of whom are freshmen, and their younger siblings, who quickly come to idolize you.”
While Summer Leadership Program positions literally involve hours of fun and games, any student expecting a laid-back summer is in for a surprise. “It’s not just a summer job,” warns Mac Wrixon (CAS’12), who worked as an Orientation student advisor the summer after his sophomore year and as a coordinator of programs the next year. “It’s a busy summer with long weeks. It’s definitely more work than your typical part-time job at Dairy Queen.”
Sheena Chatterjee (CAS’15) dons her yellow FYSOP t-shirt and joins other FYSOP students to paint a mural at a local school. Photo by Cydney Scott
The Community Service Center and BU Orientation each employ just a handful of professional staff, so most of the herculean task of planning, organizing, and executing BU’s summer programs is entrusted to students in the Summer Leadership Program. “The level of responsibility you have is a level you’ve never had before,” says former FYSOP coordinator Sam Smith (COM’13, SMG’13). “We had to do things like call different nonprofit organizations all over the Boston area and try to coordinate service with them. My co-coordinator and I contacted 60 to 70 different organizations over the course of the summer. It’s really scary at first to realize that you’re in charge of this, and you have to put this program together somewhat from scratch.”
FYSOP students in the Urban Renewal program visit the Dorchester Historical Society. Photo by Kalman Zabarsky
But each year, students find a way to accomplish their assigned tasks, and they walk away with skills and confidence that few other summer jobs could have provided. “I feel that a lot of times students focus on getting outside opportunities, things like internships,” Smith says, “and they really miss out on the opportunities on campus, even though they offer great professional development and levels of responsibility that you won’t get in any internship.” Besides, he adds, “after you’re done with college, you’re never going to have the opportunity to spend the summer working for a huge program that your college offers, whereas you have your whole life to go get a job in the business environment.”
For some students, the Summer Leadership Program offers both full immersion in campus life and excellent exposure to their future field of work. “We learned so much about the inner workings of higher education that had I had an interest in pursuing higher ed as a career, it definitely would have been a possibility,” says former FYSOP coordinator Zhandra Ferreira-Cesar (CAS’10, SPH’12). Instead, working in the Community Service Center inspired Ferreira-Cesar to pursue a master’s degree and a career in public health. “I fell in love with community service during high school, but it wasn’t until FYSOP that I realized that I could lead a volunteer project,” she says. Now a public health researcher, Ferreira-Cesar is pairing the knowledge she gained in her graduate classes with the skills she developed in the Summer Leadership Program to confidently and articulately advocate for improvements in public health.
That’s the ultimate goal of these campus positions—to provide professional training to complement students’ classroom preparation. In fact, says Lindsey Kotowicz (SED’07), director of the Community Service Center, the Summer Leadership Program provides such meaningful experiences that she’s careful not to hire the same students multiple times. “I don’t want any students in here who think they have it all figured out and aren’t going to grow from the experience,” she says. Bringing in new student leaders each summer infuses the program with fresh energy, she says, and allows a new group of students to step up to the challenge. ■
A year in the life of BU’s popular Dean of Students.
By Corinne Steinbrenner (COM’06)
Photo by Kalman Zabarsky
Who’s the guy with the infectious enthusiasm and the purple bow tie? Any student on campus can tell you, that’s Dean Elmore.
As Dean of Students, Kenneth Elmore aims to ensure that Boston University is more than an institution of higher education—that it’s also a supportive and vibrant community. It’s a responsibility Elmore takes seriously and fulfills with his own beboppin’ brand of gusto. While overseeing offices such as Orientation, Residence Life, Disability Services, Student Activities, and Judicial Affairs (yes, discipline is sometimes necessary), Elmore makes time to get out among BU students, hear their concerns, and share their energy. Here, he walks us through a typical academic year in his very busy campus life.
SEPTEMBERKicking off the year at the head of the Matriculation parade Photo by Vernon Doucette “Matriculation is this wonderful time of the year when we officially welcome new students into the Boston University community. I get the honor of starting at one end of campus—Danielsen Hall—and walking up to Agganis Arena where the Matriculation ceremony takes place, with students meeting me along the way.” “The first week of class, I’m giving a lot of ‘welcome back’ speeches. I try to pop in at hordes of events. There are lots of meetings, and the campus really comes alive during that first week.” |
OCTOBERHosting academic discussions—and Parents Weekend brunch Photo by Kalman Zabarsky Elmore moderated an October 2010 forum—“Are Americans God’s Chosen People?”—featuring two prominent BU professors, military expert Andrew Bacevich and religion scholar Stephen Prothero. The event drew a large audience and was streamed live on the Web. “I asked to host that. I love conversation. To attract the best and the brightest here, BU has to be a vibrant place that challenges and excites them. And it starts with conversation. Any chance I get to facilitate a conversation with people, I’m in.” October is also the month of Parents Weekend and Elmore’s traditional Jazz Brunch, one of the many music-themed events he hosts throughout the year. “We’ve all got a heartbeat; we’ve all got a rhythm. Music is the kind of thing that brings groups of people together.” |
NOVEMBERTweeting from the stands
While rooting on the Terriers, Elmore often sends updates from his smart phone via the social media site Twitter. “Athletics are important, and I’ll tell you why they’re important. They provide venues for the community to come together and sustain itself and reenergize itself. If we get a win, all the better.” “Social media is important, too. I’ve found that it has increased my ability to connect with students face-to-face. Students feel as though they’ve had contact with me, and I think that makes it less intimidating to walk up and ask me a question.” |
DECEMBERHosting “Coffee and Conversation” every Friday, 3 to 5 p.m. Photo by Vernon Doucette “My favorite time of the week is always Friday afternoon. It’s wonderful to have a bunch of students talking at these high levels about concepts and ideas. We’ll get anywhere from 100 to 170 people depending on the issue we throw out on our blog each week. In December we have extra desserts and it’s almost an end-of-the-year party.” |
JANUARYEmceeing the University’s Martin Luther King, Jr., Day celebration Photo by Kalman Zabarsky “Big day for us," Elmore says of the remembrance ceremonies that include a sermon at Marsh Chapel, gospel performances, and guest speakers at the George Sherman Union. "Last year we did something really cool. We decided that instead of getting a big-name speaker, we would let the people talk. We had students and faculty. People were just on the edge of their seats at this thing. We caught lightning last year, and I look forward to what we might do thematically this year.” |
FEBRUARYSitting on the selection committee for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Scholarship Photo by Vernon Doucette “I’ve had the pleasure to read those applications and to think about how we shape the future here at the University. The MLK scholars are people who not only engage in meaningful service in their communities but have thought seriously about their role in changing the world. It’s a real honor to help choose those students who will come here in the name of Dr. King. I think it might be one of the more important things I do.” |
MARCHPitching in during Alternative Spring Break Photo by Vernon Doucette “Spring break is usually the time when my professional organization gets together in conference, but I always leave those conferences early because we’ve got Alternative Spring Break (ASB) going on all around the country. I try to get to an ASB site near my conference site and do a little service with the students, and then we all go out to dinner. Then I head off to my parents’ house in South Carolina. For the last several years my parents have been hosting the ASB trip in Greenville. They have the students over, and I help my mom and dad and my aunts and uncles—the whole family comes out—to do a fish fry and a barbeque and make incredible Southern fare for the students.” |
APRILJudging campus competitionsPhoto by Vernon Doucette, video by Tom Segale. “I am often called upon to be a judge [for campus competitions]. There are dance competitions. There’s Mister and Miss BU. And last year I got a chance to judge the grand Iron Chef championship, where students come up with recipes. The food was incredible.” |
MAYSending the seniors off with a splashVideo by Nicolae Ciorogan “Senior breakfast is always the day after the last day of class. We bring all the seniors into this building, the George Sherman Union. They hear about the fun-filled week that’s coming up for them after exams. The President tells them who is going to get an honorary degree [and] who is going to be the speaker for Commencement. I get to be the emcee for all of that.” “Last year I made a bet that if we got 2,011 members of the Class of 2011 to donate to the Class Gift campaign, then I would put on a tuxedo and jump into the Charles River. I knew that a challenge would get people out.” The students met their fundraising goal during Senior Breakfast, “so I had to make good.” ■ |
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