Values.
I was at a retreat this weekend with my Orientation leaders and we were doing this diversity activity called "Signs." In a nutshell, there are six scenarios placed around the room and you ask students to choose the sign they most identify with, find the easiest to live with and the hardest to live with. The scenarios range from a homeless person living in an abandoned car with two children to an HIV+ scholarship athlete who got his girlfriend pregnant to a gay, popular, well-respected, academically successful student who is out of the closet on campus.
At one point during the activity, I was listening to the students' conversations as to why they could most easily identify with one of the signs. It was because the person on the sign stayed true and authentic to who they were and was not afraid to do them and do it well. And I told the staff members that in many ways, that's why they were selected to be on staff and serve as role models for the incoming first-years. Each staff member did them and did them well. They stuck to their values and beliefs, were involved in causes they believed in and didn't apologize for not fitting a mold someone expected of them.
Our conversation made me reflect back on a job interview I had this week. I won't say much about it as I'm still processing it myself and unsure what the outcome will be. Will they call? Will they offer me the position? Will I be able to close this chapter of uncertainty or have to dive back into it? In any event, I was meeting with faculty during the interview and they posed a question that made me hit a crossroads. Do I stay true to my values and beliefs and answer it honestly or do I give them the answer I think they might want to hear, even if it goes against what I believe? In that split-second, I chose the former and decided being authentic to who I am mattered more than how this individual might feel about me after answering the question. Turns out, the individual agreed with my authentic answer.
It helped me realize that at the end of the day, I have to do me. I'm going to find the right job for me and it will align with my values and beliefs. I have to stay true to who I am as a professional and as a person and I have to stick to my commitment to support students through their learning and development. I have to be an advocate for students and champion for their rights. And I have to always keep at the forefront who I am and what I value.
I gotta Do Me.
Cheers.
At one point during the activity, I was listening to the students' conversations as to why they could most easily identify with one of the signs. It was because the person on the sign stayed true and authentic to who they were and was not afraid to do them and do it well. And I told the staff members that in many ways, that's why they were selected to be on staff and serve as role models for the incoming first-years. Each staff member did them and did them well. They stuck to their values and beliefs, were involved in causes they believed in and didn't apologize for not fitting a mold someone expected of them.
Our conversation made me reflect back on a job interview I had this week. I won't say much about it as I'm still processing it myself and unsure what the outcome will be. Will they call? Will they offer me the position? Will I be able to close this chapter of uncertainty or have to dive back into it? In any event, I was meeting with faculty during the interview and they posed a question that made me hit a crossroads. Do I stay true to my values and beliefs and answer it honestly or do I give them the answer I think they might want to hear, even if it goes against what I believe? In that split-second, I chose the former and decided being authentic to who I am mattered more than how this individual might feel about me after answering the question. Turns out, the individual agreed with my authentic answer.
It helped me realize that at the end of the day, I have to do me. I'm going to find the right job for me and it will align with my values and beliefs. I have to stay true to who I am as a professional and as a person and I have to stick to my commitment to support students through their learning and development. I have to be an advocate for students and champion for their rights. And I have to always keep at the forefront who I am and what I value.
I gotta Do Me.
Cheers.
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