While the summer has only recently ended, we are hard at work preparing for next summer’s sessions of SOAR (Student Orientation, Advisement & Registration). One of the most critical factors of success in SOAR is selecting strong students to serve as orientation leaders for incoming students.
As a former orientation leader, I found the experience to be a valuable and fulfilling one. Here are six reasons I would encourage your student to apply to be a SOAR leader.
- Building skills. We extensively train SOAR leaders in preparation for their roles, but they often report that their true opportunity for growth occurs on the job. Leaders frequently share that they learn how to better facilitate group discussion, speak publicly, solve problems, think critically, and work well with others different than them—all of which are skills highly sought after by employers.
- Earning perks. SOAR leaders earn a number of great perks for their service, including wages, on-campus housing, and a meal plan for the summer. They are also provided a SOAR uniform and other gifts. Various departments across campus call upon the SOAR leaders to test new programs, provide student feedback, or apply for other important jobs or leadership positions. Being a SOAR leader has its perks!
- Building relationships. Our leaders have a unique opportunity to build many new relationships of various types during SOAR. They certainly meet many new students through their duties, and they often form lifelong friendships with their fellow leaders. In addition, working closely with faculty and staff during the program help them form bonds with advisors, instructors, deans, and even the University president!
- Learning from others. Being a campus-wide program, many diverse people are involved in SOAR. Student leaders have the opportunity to interact with people from different majors, ages, organizations, backgrounds, and nationalities—many that they may have not met otherwise. Listening to and working with these individuals can provide SOAR leaders with a wealth of new understanding about the Missouri State community.
- Using campus resources. In preparing to help new students and families, SOAR leaders learn a great deal about Missouri State’s resources. This information certainly benefits them as they continue to navigate their own Missouri State experience.
- Representing the school your student loves. SOAR leaders perform a critical function for Missouri State: they represent the University and help welcome new students and families to the Missouri State community. We rigorously select leaders to ensure they will not take this responsibility lightly. It is truly an honor to be selected as a SOAR leader, and our leaders are very proud of their role.
If your student is interested in becoming a SOAR leader, encourage them to join us for our information sessions in Meyer Library 101 on October 18 at 5 PM and October 19 at 6 PM. We will discuss leader’s duties, qualifications, and responsibilities, as well as how to apply for the position. Students can also visit our Become a SOAR Leader page or contact New Student and Family Programs for more information. The deadline to submit an application is November 9th at 5pm. The application is online.
~Joe Morris
Joe Morris, a graduate of Missouri State and former SOAR Leader, is the Director of New Student & Family Programs.