Academic Courses:

AGED 260 (Spring 2017)

I am taking this specifically required course to talk about leadership and understand roles
in a group setting. Currently, it is week 9 of taking this course for intro to leadership
studies and I can honestly say that this is one of the most interesting courses that I have
taken all semester. Class is engaging, the material discussed in class is relevant and the
information I receive in this class can definitely be beneficial for me well after
graduation. I think AGED 260 is a perfect way to apply leadership practices and theories
into personal as well as professional relationships. In class I learned that the definition of
leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve
a common goal. I have learned that leadership can come in the form of emotional
intelligence, situational leadership, behavioral leadership, traits, and skills. Having this
new found knowledge broadens my understanding of what it means to be a leader which
will be highly useful for me in my professional career.

CMN 230 (Spring 2017)

This class is going to help me become a more effective speaker. Communication is

paramount and being able to speak publicly or interpersonally, fluently, and clearly as
possible is what I hope to gain from taking this class. It is currently week 9 and so far I
have learned so much about interpersonal relationships. This class focuses on how to
have effective relationships with others. I have learned why it is important to study
interpersonal communication. You spend so much time communicating that it is also a
learned behavior. It is vital in order to have better relationships in general. It can lead to a
more successful career. Interpersonal communication leads to better overall health. It also
points out that communication and ideal relationships are linked. An topic that I found
most interesting topics in this class so far are the relationship satisfactory theory and the
social exchange theory. The relationship satisfactory theory suggests that there are 3 rules
to follow for ultimate relationship satisfaction: 1) Equality rule where partners are more
satisfied when each partner perceives themselves as benefiting/contributing equally, 2)
Reward level where the more people get rewarded, the happier they will be, and 3) Need-
based rule for when people do not exchange resources for equality instead they are based
on their partner's perceived needs.

Non-Classroom Team Experiences:

On-campus Job (8/20/2014 6/23/2016)

During this experience, I worked with many other student workers in the Illinois Street
Resident dining hall where we prepared and maintained an efficient eating establishment.
This job was my first job that I participated in during my first year of college. It was
interesting to work with so many different people with many different roles and positions.
 My first job working in the dining hall was as a table washer. It was a pretty tedious task
of cleaning off tables before and after people ate on them. My sophomore year I
continued to work in the dining hall but as a dish washer. This position is more than self-
explanatory but in sum I washed dishes; I washed a lot of dishes. During my junior year,
the dining hall was low on student workers so I was working many different positions;
from table washer and checker to patty maker and stocker. Soon my job became an
unfavorable working environment. I quit my job in the dining hall to find a better one and
now I work in a job where I was cars for the university.

Student-led Social Organization (9/21/2016 Present)

In this organization, I actively engage in dialogue along with other students within our group.
We also participate with other organizations, fraternities, sororities, and the like, in
volunteering and other on-campus involvement. The student organization was meant for me
to become more involved on campus. I wanted to participate in an organization that appealed
to me and when I found out about this student organization it was to my surprise that it was
primarily a group of multi-cultural, bi-racial, and ethnic students. Considering that I am bi-
racial, I really enjoy the idea of having a group where there are others who can relate to me. I
am both black and Korean. I come from a very diverse family and I am always interested in
different cultures so this organization called Mixed Student Union Organization was very
appealing to me. This organization, along with the workshops, have helped mold me into a
well-rounded person. This student organization was exactly what I needed to be more
inclusive on-campus and I have gotten to meet new people on campus and share what I
believe in and hear others perspectives.

I-Programs/Leadership Programs:

Innovation (November 5th)

When I signed up for this I-program I did not know what to expect. I knew there would be
something involved with leadership but I did not know what the event entailed but what I
experienced was a way to work with different people and understand my role, as well as,
the role of other's in group-led projects. What I got from this I-program was an
understanding of how exciting and complex it is working in group-led projects. There's
constant input and feedback from both leaders and followers of the group who each have
unimaginable talent and creativity. This program also taught me that it is always good to
have a variety of different people with different backgrounds and expertise to analyze and
solve challenges more effectively. I believe this will prove to be useful information for me
when I begin to start my career or it could be a future reference for when I find myself in a
leadership role. I can connect this program to my personal mission statement in which I can
I signed up for the Leadership Certificate Program to get more involved on campus and I
believe that this program can at least help me develop and muster traits needed to engage in
anything from self-volunteering to joining and taking part of an organization or group and
since I've joined the ILC program I have volunteered more and have been active on campus
more frequently.
Integrity (March 14th)

When I signed up for this I-program I was under the impression that I would be talking about
trust and bonding and how important it is to have integrity in both your professional career and
your personal relationships, but it was to my surprise that the program provided a lot more
insight on what it means to have integrity and the choices that people make everyday that
challenges their morals and beliefs. The program started us off in what the program facilitator
called "small group" and from there we discussed how integrity plays a role in how we handle
certain situations. For example, questions were asked about a situation involving your best friend
who was struggling financially and couldn't afford to stay another year in college but your friend
decides to apply for a scholarship that would pay for his tuition. Your friend decides to fabricate
his resume to increase his likelihood of winning the scholarship. My group's task was to think
about what we would do since we know that lying on a resume for a scholarship is against the
student code of conduct and what we would do after knowing this information. It was a heavily
debated topic because we all know that our friend was lying and that is wrong but we all want to
stay loyal to our friend. It was a very difficult question to answer and it really made me think
about what actions I would take without compromising my friendship or challenging my morals
or integrity.

Communication and Management Conflict Workshop (10/28/2016)

In this workshop, vision and purpose were the main topics of discussion. Instructors lectured
about understanding the "golden circle" of what, how and why to any growing organization.
What I got from this workshop was an understanding of how exciting and complex it is working
in group-led projects. There's constant input and feedback from both leaders and followers of the
group who each have unimaginable talent and creativity. This workshop also taught me that it is
always good to have a variety of different people with different backgrounds and expertise to
analyze and solve challenges more effectively. I believe this will prove to be useful information
for me when I begin to start my career or it could be a future reference for when I find myself in
a leadership role. This workshop was very productive in helping achieve my SMART goals in
the program. I am a part of a student organization and sometimes there is stress from classes that
discourages members from participating in some of the organizations activities, so the best
solution would be to successfully motivate the board and its members to stay committed and
participate.

Understanding Your Strengths and Effective Teamwork (11/4/2016)

This workshop was a great way to develop an understanding of my personal strengths as a leader
and I was able to use those strengths in group-led problem-solving activities. This program was
interesting due to the account of the strength assessment test I participated in. I was able to learn
more about what my strengths were and where my strengths could be used in effective
teamworking. There's constant input and feedback from both leaders and followers of the group
who each have unimaginable talent and creativity. This workshop also taught me that it is always
good to have a variety of different people with different backgrounds and expertise to analyze
and solve challenges more effectively. I believe this will prove to be useful information for me
when I begin to start my career or it could be a future reference for when I find myself in a
leadership role. This workshop, especially, helped reveal what my strengths and weaknesses are
as an individual and gave me some realization on what strengths would be effective in groups or
organizations.

Successful Motivation in Organizations in Strategic Planning (11/11/2016)

This workshop involved different styles of communicating with others as well as improving
communication skills, how to resolve arguments and develop an understanding of others. This
could be very important for me when being involved in any organization because communication
is vital for the contribution and commitment an organization. I for one had a great time in this
workshop because I was able to expand my network and meet new people. I experienced a way
to work with different people and understand my role, as well as, the role of other's in group-led
projects. What I got from this workshop was an understanding of how exciting and complex it is
working in group-led projects. There's constant input and feedback from both leaders and
followers of the group who each have unimaginable talent and creativity. I think this workshop
was insightful in which I could connect what my goals are in the leadership program and how I
could apply effective communication skills when dealing with conflict or developing supportive
behaviors in the group or organization.

Love Leadership Week Panel (04/19/2017)

This leadership panel was really insightful for me because I was able to hear from other people's
perspective of what they enjoy about the leadership certificate program and leadership in general.
This workshop was very productive in helping achieve my SMART goals in the program. I am a
part of a student organization and sometimes there is stress from classes that discourages
members from participating in some of the organizations activities, so the best solution would be
to successfully motivate the board and its members to stay committed and participate. This
workshop also taught me that it is always good to have a variety of different people with
different backgrounds and expertise to analyze and solve challenges more effectively. I believe
this will prove to be useful information for me when I begin to start my career or it could be a
future reference for when I find myself in a leadership role. This workshop, especially, helped
reveal what my strengths and weaknesses are as an individual and gave me some realization on
what strengths would be effective in groups or organizations.