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| At the beginning... |
If I had to come up with one word to describe my experience as an International Officer thus far, I would have to call it nothing short on insane. One minute things are exciting (well they are always exciting :-) ) and the next they are completely stressful. Sometimes I feel like I am doing really well and other times I feel like I am not doing enough. Whenever I start to get overwhelmed, I think back to the beginning and remember why I wanted to run and what I hoped to bring to the organization and it brings everything back into perspective but it's certainly not all easy!
When we were first elected, I felt a whirlwind of emotions. We were paraded off stage and pulled into a side room where our pictures were taken and we were apart of the outgoing officer goodbyes. The next morning, we participated in a brief orientation where we were given a long list of assignments (mostly readings) and information about our actual orientation that took place a month later in Jackson. Headquarters has become one of my favorite places to be and it's always so much fun going there and learning something ELSE about Phi Theta Kappa and spending time with the other officers. Our trips to headquarters always has something surprising in store!
One important piece of the first orientation in Jackson was preparing for the Honors Institute in Boston (my own backyard!). Our major goal for Honors Institute was to appear available to Phi Theta Kappans and we tried a couple of different things to make that happen - our game night and the dinner that I invited my seminar group to on Thursday (though we had many people outside of the seminar group!). As a team, we recognized how it may be difficult for people to get in touch with us and we wanted to eliminate some of those barriers by working hard to reach out.
In August, we got to travel to Jackson for the second of three trips throughout our term. This was just as busy but had some bonding times built in - which was great because what team doesn't need a chance to get closer? We also got our fall travel schedule which was something that all of the Speaker's Bureau were looking forward to :-) I think this is the trip where things really starting sinking in. I am a very introverted personality by nature and had concerns about traveling to conferences that required me to open up and reach out.
My assignments this semester were in the New York Region and New Jersey (Middle States divides up their fall Regional meeting). I had absolutely no idea what to expect and both events were unique in what seemed to be expected of me. In New York, I was privelaged to essentially join their Regional Officer team for the weekend and in New Jersey, I was treated like royalty. It was so exciting to get a chance to hear what different chapters were doing, what they were having trouble with, what level they were at, etc. Each offered a great experience and taught me a lot.
All the while that we have been traveling and going to school, we have been making a point to meet as an officer team about once a week and do an online Ning chat once per month. Early in October, we announced our three main goals to you all through our monthly chat. In November, we got to spend more time discussing something that we are incredibly proud to be apart of - The Oberndorf Lifeline to Completion Scholarship! Our next Ning chat will be December 20th and we are hoping for as good of a turn out as we have been getting thus far. Clear your calendars and start preparing any questions that you have for this year's International Officer team! Also, look for the Collegefish.org survey and *please* contact your Officer team with questions or suggestions about ways that we can better serve you and your chapter!
Thank you for all of the hard work that you do!
Danielle
When we were first elected, I felt a whirlwind of emotions. We were paraded off stage and pulled into a side room where our pictures were taken and we were apart of the outgoing officer goodbyes. The next morning, we participated in a brief orientation where we were given a long list of assignments (mostly readings) and information about our actual orientation that took place a month later in Jackson. Headquarters has become one of my favorite places to be and it's always so much fun going there and learning something ELSE about Phi Theta Kappa and spending time with the other officers. Our trips to headquarters always has something surprising in store!
In August, we got to travel to Jackson for the second of three trips throughout our term. This was just as busy but had some bonding times built in - which was great because what team doesn't need a chance to get closer? We also got our fall travel schedule which was something that all of the Speaker's Bureau were looking forward to :-) I think this is the trip where things really starting sinking in. I am a very introverted personality by nature and had concerns about traveling to conferences that required me to open up and reach out. 
Thank you for all of the hard work that you do!
Danielle
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