With the fall semester winding down, many first year freshman have a lot of new experiences to look back on from their first semester at college. Missouri State senior Andrea Green says some of her best memories are planning events for new freshman the first week that they are here on campus to help them have the best experience possible! Our LeaderBear this week has been very involved with the MSU Student Activities Council in her three and a half years here on campus. She was a member of their executive board for most of her time on the council serving as the Vice President of Marketing and Vice President of Operations. Now that she is in her last year she still a member of the general council and stays very involved in the organization.
When I asked her what some of her favorite events that she help plan were, she replied without a doubt, it was the events the council holds on opening week. SAC puts on an event every night of the first week students are here, starting the Friday of Welcome Weekend. When responding to why these events were her favorite Andrea said, “It is so much fun to be there for the incoming freshman and watch as they make new friends, come out of their comfort zone, and really experience college.” Many of the students finishing up their first semester probably have some great memories of these events that Andrea helped put on.
Next semester will be Andrea’s last semester at Missouri State as she finishes up her student teaching to receive her Bachelor’s degree in elementary education in May. She looks forward to being able to teach a classroom full of diverse students in the future. In her time at MSU she not only was very involved in SAC but also served as a student leader for CRU and attend CRU regularly. She completed the Commerce Bank Emerging Leaders program during her sophomore year in 2013. Her top five strengths that she uses everyday are: achiever, includer, responsibility, belief, and developer.
When asked what about our programs impacted her the most she replied,
“Learning about other people and leadership styles has impacted me the most. I think learning about others lets you really get to know and appreciate them for who they are and accept them. Everyone is different but if we do not recognize those differences and appreciate them we will never learn from them and learn to appreciate them. I am going into education and I will have the pleasure of teaching diverse students one day. What I have learned about diversity in these programs I have been involved in at Missouri State will help me to become a better teacher for my diverse students.”
Her advice to younger students:
“I would tell younger students to get involved in something while they are in college. College is a time to grow and experiment, by getting involved they may find a new passion or hobby or they may find a great friend they will keep in contact with for years to come. Getting involved can totally change the college experience a student will have and I think it can make all the difference.”