Being a student is not about getting enrollment status or getting grades for completing work. To truly be a student, you learn as you do and you have to make mistakes to grow. Fortunately, I’ve made many mistakes and continue to struggle. Without the challenges I’ve faced, I wouldn’t be me nor have the skills I possess. I wouldn’t have gotten to play in the youth world cup in Denmark & Sweden had I not fractured several vertebrae on my spine when I was fifteen and trained through therapy. Earning a place on the team. I wouldn’t have been on the executive council for the student activities board (the fun part of the student senate) if I hadn’t almost flunked out my freshman year of college and dedicated myself to turning around my grades.
I spent three summers after high school working as a summer camp counselor and learning about outdoor leadership at YMCA Camp St. Croix. I worked with campers as young as seven years old and campers as old as eighteen years old. Every week presented challenges as new campers came and new trips had to be lead. Whether I was leading a group of novice sailors or veteran rock climbers, I adapted and found a way to unite the cabin to reach new personal growth levels
My goal as a leader was and always has been to craft a vision, build alignment, and champion execution. I took my interest in leadership with me to college and joined the LEAD program, tacking on a leadership minor. Here’s a link to a video I made about the VAE model of leadership.
I pride myself in taking different approaches to problems and my ability to work with others to achieve a shared vision. In high school, I was called a “divergent thinker”. I prefer to think of myself as a risk-taker who craves challenges.
I’m currently an advertising major with a leadership minor at Drake University in Des Moines Iowa. With so many possibilities and creative mediums to tap, advertising becomes more of a big puzzle that I want to solve. I have no formal graphic design training but I can create a simple vision with no problem. I can also write copy, optimize search results and manage social media but what I love most about the industry is creative.
I’m looking to learn and explore ways to include creativity in advertising copy, design, strategy, and production. I don’t take myself too seriously and I am a passionate learner. I’m not afraid to get in touch with my inner geek and I am happy to venture into the unknown.
