HDF 190: FIRST YEAR LEADERS INSPIRED TO EXCELLENCE LEADERSHIP PORTFOLIO

1. HDF 190:FIRST YEAR LEADERS INSPIRED TO EXCELLENCELEADERSHIP PORTFOLIO CONNELLY CLIFFORD SPRING 2011 cliffordc@my.uri.edu

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS Gallup Strengths Slide 3 VIA strengths Slide 4 Opening statement Slide 5 Section 1: Self leadership Slide 6 Section 2: Leadership Theories Slide 7 Section 3: Inclusive Leadership Slide 8 Section 4: Critical Thinking Slide 9 Section 5: Interpersonal/Organizational Leadership Slide 10

3. Signature StrengthsGallup Includer- We are all equally important Woo- There are no strangers, only friends you haven’t met Positivity- It is good to be alive Learner- Tell me the process Empathy- Understanding not agreeing

4. Values in ActionVIA Humor and Playfulness- bringing smiles to other people is important to you Capacity to Love and be Loved- sharing and caring Leadership- Harmony, Inclusive, Organization KindnessandGenerosity- Never too busy to do a favor Fairness, Equity, and Justice- Give everyone a chance

5. Opening Statement Never had I thought I’d want to go so far with leadership studies. After being part of institute I knew I wanted to continue from there. Being able to know my strengths helps in many aspects of my life from schooling, dealing with friends, and moving on and out into the workforce. From this class I have become more and more interested in the field of study as well as gaining knowledge of myself in general. With wanting a career in Business Management taking these Leadership Studies courses, while learning about myself along the way, will only better my chances to succeed in my future. "Others don't put me down because I see bright sides of situations .I laugh, I smile, I play and in the end they're the ones wondering how can she be so happy. "

6. Section 1: Self Leadership Student will demonstrate the ability to manage emotions HDF 190: Getting Involved- Lacrosse Team Being homesick: my first week here was exciting yet as the weeks went on I slowly became homesick and realized how different it was to live on your own. I decided to join things on campus and get involved to feel part of the community at URI. For example, I became a player on the Women’s Club Lacrosse team and also have been accepted to the Student Alumni Association. My lacrosse team quickly became my family away from home both on and off the field. They made me feel comfortable in campus and all the older girls were able to help me with anything I was unsure of about classes, the social scene, and just URI in general.

7. Section 2: Leadership Theories and Models Student will describe personal application of the 4 V’s theory of leadership by Grace (center for Ethical Leadership) HDF 190: Starting a group- Life I personally apply this theory simply by living my life and taking action with things. For voice I inspire people by sharing how I am / have been inspired. As far as cheerleading goes my older cousin inspired my to be who I am and do what I can do without getting discouraged. One aspect of being a cheerleader is by inspiring the people you are cheering for. This then carries over to every sport I play because it helps to inspire all my teammates. Another one I practice is vision by showing people my reasons for my vision. I am very passionate about supporting cancer awareness. Why? Because my good friend died from leukemia and at the time I hadn’t quite realized what was going on because we were young however now I see what it can do and want to raise awareness of it. I am currently trying to start a group on campus called CARE (cancer awareness that recognizes everyone) because I know we see a lot of breast cancer awareness however the other cancers seem to not be as recognized. I want to change that because I want Hannah’s cancer to be recognized for her just like Susan B Anthony wanted breast cancer to be recognized.

8. Section 3: Inclusive Leadership Student will show knowledge of effective leadership as it relates to change agency HDF 190: Social Change Model After learning about the social model itself and hearing about change agents I learned that to be part of the model and to use it you are being a change agent. In the model people act as change, what they do say and believe acts as change. In another sense things such as businesses and uncontrollable things that happen in the work are all change agents as well. To be an effective leader in this case one must adapt to changes and accept that unexpected things can and will happen and one must work around it to get back on track. A person with effective leadership skills who is considered a change agent is capable of taking their individual values connecting them to group values and further sharing their group values with society and community values. People undergo change everyday in various settings and without accepting change nothing may get done and whether people want to accept it or not complications are always part of change. Overcoming those complications proves that someone is an effective leader because they don’t let it stop them from getting things done.

9. Section 4: Critical Thinking Student will demonstrate proficiency of critical thinking HDF 190: Life-note taking, To-do Lists I demonstrate my proficiency of critical thinking by taking notes in class and making do to lists for those classes. For example, after making to do lists I further break everything down and seeing what I’ve done for far, what else I have to do, when it needs to be done, who can I get help from/ information from etc. I also use critical thinking to make decisions instead of just jumping to conclusions. For example, making pro and con lists shows that I understand both the good vs. the bad of a situation and then I am able to look back upon them to help reach a final decision

10. Section 5: Interpersonal/ Organizational Leadership Student will describe personal examples of building, maintaining, and repairing his/her own credibility as a leader HDF 190: REC Cheerleading Coach I began my journey of noticeably being a leader first unintentionally. My freshman year of high school I decided to return to the REC cheerleaders and become a coach for the 5th -8th grade girls. I loved my coaches and everything they did for me that I wanted to give back in a way that I loved so much. I built up me being a leader by attending all of their practices and games in order to have them be inspired and try out for the high school squad once they graduate just as I had. I gained respect from the girls, their parents and even the advisors of the entire REC program. I maintained my leadership by returning year after year until I graduated high school I would go to every practice that didn’t interfere with my teams and this showed that I had true passion to be there. I gained credibility throughout the entire process when each year I had parents coming up to me telling me how inspiring I was to their daughters who were part of the program, I made them truly all feel like part of the team. Sometimes complications would arise however and if it had to do with me missing a practice because of my practice I would make sure that during the next one my full attention was there to the girls so they can talk to me about what they did and want to do and what I missed. Being there and listening to them helped regain my credibility if some of it slipped away while I was absent. Being a leader in this case was so inspiring that I still return to the high school squad and see the girls that made it from my coaching as well the ones yet to come.