Olivia

Hey everyone!

This summer I had the amazing opportunity to work for Orientation Services as a Hawkeye Guide. I, along with 32 other Hawkeyes helped welcome the largest freshman class The University of Iowa has ever seen!!

Last October I filled out an application for the position because my experience with Orientation as a freshman did not fulfill my high expectations. Orientation is often the first impression new students and their families have of our university so I was incredibly happy when I was chosen to help usher in the class of 2020, and help present our university in its full glory.

After training for three hours every week for the entire spring semester as well as a two week summer session, the team felt confident in our ability to help ease our students to college life at a Big Ten University. Throughout the summer I was able to develop my public speaking skills, assertiveness, as well as becoming a stronger team player. My colleagues were awesome. Each had cultivated their own interests within our University and the diversity and professionalism existing within the team dynamic was truly astounding. The selection committee really hit it out of the park! Being around them five days a week inspired me to be not only the best Hawkeye Guide I could be, but also the best version of myself.

The biggest takeaway for me from this summer was something the Orientation team referred to as “lollipop moments.” Lollipop moments are brief moments in time that may seem minuscule, but have a big impact on someone’s life experiences. A small compliment or even a simple acknowledgment of a feeling can result in a lollipop moment. Everyone has experienced a lollipop moment in their life and the fact that this summer I perhaps served as the catalyst for even one fills me with so much joy.

This summer was filled with long hours, hot days in the sun, hard work, and SO MANY students. I am forever grateful to my bosses for allowing me the privilege of being a Hawkeye Guide. Interacting with the students was the highlight of my summer, providing them with resources, learning from them, giving them advice, and tying my personal experiences in was so rewarding and fulfilling. If anyone has any questions about the experience of being a Hawkeye Guide, please reach out! I’m so excited for our newest Hawks to start classes and hope that their college experiences will be as epic as mine have been thus far. I am very happy to have been apart of the beginning of their Iowa journeys.

O Team Love

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 21st, 2016 at 2:44 pm and is filed under General, . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.