When I first began my experiential learning, I was completely new to the University of

Washington. I felt confused, wandering around campus just trying to find my classes. But after
accepting this role in the Terry Hall Council, I felt like I had found a community. Even though it
was my responsibility to form community for other residents in Terry Hall, I began to feel more
at home on campus. By leading and spending every Monday afternoon with a group of highly
motivated peers, I began to feel more confident and able to express myself. I began to take
charge within the council, leading brainstorms and facilitating constructive conversations. This
was a skill that I had attempted to work on during high school, rather unsuccessfully. But in this
environment, where I felt safe and welcomed, I was able to lead my peers, and guide them
towards the development of fun events. Overall, I am proud of my growth as a leader. Learning
to facilitate conversation, handle disputes, and generate ideas when others are stumped, will all
help me in my future classes and profession.
Teamwork and the ability to work with others was a huge part of this position. Before
every general hall council meeting, we would have an executive board meeting where we would
finalize ideas and generate an agenda. These meetings required an ability to work with others in
order to make the hard decisions about what to include in our events. As the Director of
Programming, I was responsible for listening to all my peers’ ideas, and consolidating them into
a cohesive agenda. Sometimes, this proved difficult, as people wanted to host a variety of events
in a short period of time. However, I was able to consolidate ideas, form compromises between
members of the council, and ensure that all organized events incorporated a part of everyone’s
ideas. Looking forward, I believe that these skills will benefit my work in Public Health. I am
currently planning on pursuing a major in Public Health, and potentially attending medical
school. This major and career path require a lot of collaboration between people from different
communities and backgrounds. By practicing active listening and the formation of compromises
now, I will be prepared to create solutions to health issues in a comprehensive and inclusive
manner.
Throughout this experience, I felt like I was able to facilitate friendships and community
within Terry Hall. Friendships were developed within hall council, and also at many of our
events. By organizing these events, I was able to witness these connections grow. By providing a
welcoming, safe, and fun space, hall council allowed many people to find people in our
residential community that they could connect with. Therefore, Terry Hall Council was able to
help the residential life leaders in their goal to unite the community. By joining forces with all of
the residential life leaders, I was able to witness many residents find people that they could
confide in and trust. This was extremely validating and valuable in my journey through freshman
year. I felt like I had made an impact on my community. An impact that would last longer than a
few days, but maybe throughout the lives of all those residing in Terry Hall.