• Describe your position as it relates/fits into the overall IMPACT structure

Currently, I am the Assistant Resident Director in South Hall. My job is to do the administrative tasks and assisting the Resident Director with whatever she needs. I am also here to help and serve the other Resident Assistants in South Hall when they need help or if they have any questions. I also work on my floor to plan events for wholistic growth, make sure students are following the student handbook, and making sure residents feel included and part of a community.

• What made you want to be involved in IMPACT leadership on campus?

I wanted to be involved with IMPACT leadership from the moment that I first visited campus as a junior in high school. I wanted to be a part of something that makes a real difference in people’s lives. I believe that IMPACT really makes a difference in campus life and in the lives of students. I wanted to be a part of changing people’s lives. I wanted to remind people that they are included and are a vital part of this community.

• Why is student leadership on a college campus important?

Student leadership on a college campus is so important because it allows for student growth and allows gives people someone to relate to. Leadership sets students up to grow personally and professionally before they graduate and go out into the workforce. Students learn important skills for interpersonal relationships. They also learn responsibility. Student leadership is also important because it is easier for students to trust someone who has gone through the same things they’ve gone through not too long before they have. Your peers can sometimes give you greater support and advice than your professors can. Also, student leaders are always around and ready to help even after hours.

• What challenges face LETU student leaders?

There is so much diversity on the LETU campus. On the one hand, there are people who like playing video games together and watching movies. On the other hand, there are athletes who like to work out and do active things. I think a big challenge is bridging the gap between all of the very different groups of people on campus. How do we encourage an introverted gamer to talk to and be friends with an international student from China who has very little experience with American culture? Bringing unity to campus is very difficult because it’s just so easy to split off into people who are just like you. But also, there’s beauty at LETU because of the same reason. Our campus is set up to bring people who normally wouldn’t interact with each other. The diversity at LETU, while a challenge is also a great blessing.

• How do you feel that your leadership position may help prepare you for life/work in your future?

My leadership position has helped me to build relationships with people that I otherwise would never have interacted with. I’ve also learned a lot about what it means to be on a team and how to deal with people who come up with ideas and who think of things differently than you do. Just because someone does something different than you doesn’t mean they do it wrong! We all have valuable insight to add. I’ve been a lot more confident in myself and my abilities. I’ve learned a lot about myself and what I need to work on in myself personally to become the best person I could possibly be. I’m much more willing to be a leader in all aspects of my life. I’ve learned how to deal with conflict productively and how to build relationships with people around me.

• What is your favorite Bible verse?

My favorite Bible Verse is Psalm 63:1 which says “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” I think it’s a great reminder that we should always be searching for God on a deeper level, no matter what’s going on in our life. God is always there for us and we need him more than we need water to live.