HDF 415 Peer Leader Mini Portfolio

1. HDF 415Peer Leader Mini Portfolio Amandine Umutoni Gatali Spring 2012 umutoni_gatali@my.uri.edu

2. Journey Around The World

3. Journey around the world as a leader • In my life I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel to many places in this world. I have experienced a variety of different cultures and traditions. Through this journey I have also faced a few challenges that come with this lifestyle. One of the biggest journey I have taken is actually the one I’m still taking right now. I came to URI, a small state in the united states with not too many expectations but only the hopes of attaining a civil engineering degree. I started out strong eager to learn about the culture here just like any other place I’ve lived, I’m happy to say I made the right decision. I got involved and started searching for way really to meet people, what I got out was something I did not expect. I was met with incredible teaches and mentors, who encouraged me and believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. They influenced my leadership skills in many ways and I couldn’t be more grateful. Today I am a stronger student, mentor and leader, I love helping those in need because I can’t help but strive to become those people who influenced me in the beginning. I know my strengths and this is most of all I know that this is only the beginning.

4. My Signature Strengths • Developer • Empathy • Harmony • Includer • Consistency

5. Hello?? Hi! • In my first class of HDF 190 as a peer leader I was nervous and did not know what to expect from the experience. I had set goals for myself and knew my values and strengths. I knew I had to use what I already know and move forward. When I first met my group of students and although a nerve wrecking experience I started by using the basics, be strong in your word, facilitate and communicate. • My personal code of ethics as a member and a leader within my group was to value each member of the team, to take into consideration their opinions and suggestions. I was challenged to know when to make the right decisions. Even though I was regarded as the leader ,I also knew that each member was valuable and I had to acknowledge every single person for their contribution to our group. • The group looked up to me as the leader and it was challenging making the students see me as a member . I realized that to be a member, I had to step back and not give the answers, this was also a challenged for them to step up and practice their leadership skills; with some encouragement and support they were able to adjust to the situation, they became great fascilitators and conducted good discussions, I learned that no matter what kind of leader you are you cannot do it alone.

6. I’m ready!! • In the class of HDF 190, I had the chance to work in small group of nine members including myself. Although I was regarded as a peer leader and the group thought of me as a higher authority: I thought of myself as being part of the group. I had to apply all the membership skills I knew and that gave the rest of the group an indication of what to strive for membership wise. Being part of the group is no easy task sometimes, but what you got to learn was that it wasn’t about me. Yes I needed to be a good leader to myself before I was to others, and with that I needed to have a good understanding of who I really am, of my strengths and my weaknesses; but most importantly I needed to see how these strengths and weaknesses would play in the group. I needed to be a good listener in order for the group work and discussions to succeed, I could not afford to miss someone’s ideas and point of view, Ialso needed to have an open mind, and that came with reflection and understanding. In the small group we had many discussions and because of the application of these skills we learned a lot about each other and all the different approach to leadership which was our goal. We were successful because we understood that it wasn’t all about our ideas and thoughts, but that we were willing to learn something new and interesting.

7. Officially a RAM! • Inclusive leadership means opening yourself up to a variety of people and groups. Being able to recognize the different cultures and tradition is important. As a leader you need to take a step back and realize that no one type or traits bests fits leadership. In my group as a leader you need to be inclusive, encourage those in your group to share their ideas and be able to take advantage of that. You will encounter leaders that are introverted and you need to be able to get them involved as much as the extroverted. It is helpful to get a variety of perspectives regarding any activity. Recognize talent and appreciate it. As a mentor I realize that all leaders are different and you need to work on what you can do best. I encouraged my students to focus on their strengths and talent and achieve their goals through that. Inclusive leadership also required you to take a chance on people, and trust the process; I have gotten to learn that often leaders will surprise you. Lastly to be inclusive means to take your time and understand the different ideas and personalities, so you maybe be to work well together in the future. Understanding where someone is coming from helps you to get an idea of what works best, so everyone can be successful.

8. It’s not about Me • Servant leadership is a theory which I feel inspirers and relates to me ethically. Servant leadership is about serving others before yourself, to me that simply means always putting other first in everything you do, sharing your strengths and value for the betterment of others. In my experiences in HDF 415 I learnt that sometimes you can get caught up in being a leader always wanting to be on top, telling others what to do, mainly concerned with yourself and your own personal growth. Although as a leader you should always try to strive to be the best, it is crucial that you understand what being the best leader is. You can only excel as a leader if those around are excelling as well, otherwise you stand alone. • I choose to be a servant leader because the leaders that inspire me the most are servant leaders. When I wanted to be a FLITE peer leader, I wanted to put my servant leadership in practice, I have to admit I had no clue what servant leadership was but what I did know was that I wanted to help the FLITE class learn about leadership and maybe be able to use me as a resource for leadership in the future. I hope I have inspired them to move forward with just a little bit of servant leadership in them.

9. Leader in Practice • Peer leadership is one of the most important roles that anyone can have in society or in an organization. As I had the chance to experience this semester (Spring 2012), it can be a challenging task, but it is also very rewarding. Going into this experience you don’t necessary need to know all the leadership theories but you need to be able to learn from activities and from those you are leading. You need to have an open mind towards everyone’s thoughts and ideas. You have to know your strengths and weaknesses. Recognize that each person has the skills to do a great job, and that as a group we need to surround ourselves with people to fill the empty gaps in leadership. As a peer leader you have to be an active listener and be extremely attentive, you want to portray the idea that everyone is welcome to share their strengths and weaknesses, you need to encourage hard work and good ethics within your group. You also need to strive for excellence. Be persistent and organized, all the student leaders look to you as the example and you need to make sure you practice what you preach. I have certainly learned a lot as a peer leader; be empathetic, improve on my strengths, have a clear definition of my weaknesses and had fun doing it all. I am happy to report that through this experience I have been able to achieve my goals as a FLITE PEER LEADER.