Dawg Daze Leaders
Overview
Each year as a returning student at UW I have volunteered as a Dawg Daze Leader to help welcome new students during their first couple of weeks on campus. As a Dawg Daze Leader I have the opportunity to reach out to new students, provide them with support and encouragement, and offer resources and information to help them navigate the university and feel encouraged and prepared during a time of great transition. In addition to being of service to new students, volunteering for Dawg Daze allows me to join and build connections among a supportive and inspiring group of community-minded students who appreciate engaging with peers across UW. |
Personal Importance of Work
Dawg Daze is one of the things I most look forward to about the beginning of each academic year. I enjoy having something to offer others and receiving in return their appreciation.
I am able to invest in the incoming class and influence their first impressions of UW and the community I hope they will find and help to establish here. I love building community and connections myself with other students who share my passion for serving and helping others. I believe that having caring and helpful upperclassmen taking an interest in and pointing new students in the right direction can make all the difference to them.
Tasks Accomplished
· Attended training in September, establishing community and a common experience and preparation among the Dawg Daze Leaders
· Registered students for Dawg Daze events, giving them useful information and serving as an ambassador for the UW and First Year Programs
· Communicated as part of a group of student leaders – organizing events and building community amongst ourselves
· Participated in various events welcoming students to campus, seeking to engage them and encouraging peer-peer interactions
· Set-up for events behind the scenes with a team of fellow leaders
· Led student tours highlighting student services and campus resources
· Helped organize and volunteer at events overlapping with my personal communities on campus: Husky Running Club and Honors
Leadership Competencies Gained
Collaboration
One of the notable characteristics of Dawg Daze is that it’s very much set up to encourage and celebrate teamwork. Dawg Daze Leaders are organized into teams (with a healthy dose of team competition encouraged) and throughout our two weeks as Dawg Daze Leaders we are often working together in order to bring about events that make an impact on UW’s incoming students. I’ve come to recognize the importance of Dawg Daze training as a time for the Leaders to actively meet each other and go through a common experience which allows us to establish trust and relationships and function more effectively as a team as a result. I learned that taking risks in being vulnerable and curious during this time allowed me to make valuable connections with others, learning about their interests and passions. Dawg Daze Leaders overall formed a team of students that functioned rather autonomously, with guidance from FYP staff and student coordinators, and we were motivated by our mutual interest in serving others and our willingness to contribute our own effort.
Responding to ambiguity
With so much packed into a couple of weeks, Dawg Daze always seems to go by at a breakneck pace. Surprisingly little falls through the cracks, though. Througout my time as a DD Leader I witnessed several instances of quick-thinking contingency plans being put into effect. The students, as ambassadors throughout the program, often face instances where they must make decisions in unclear situations as well. There were times when DD Leaders would be delegated to work in a particular area, and we would end up with too many or too few around to help efficiently, and so it was a matter of finding out where to relocate people to. Similarly, situations in which there were no clear directives became opportunities for me to identify on my own how I could be of service. When directions weren’t clear I felt I had the authority vested in me—as a Dawg Daze Leader—and in most cases the necessary resources to be able to innovate a solution confidently. Throughout Dawg Daze I felt valued and respected by the First Year Programs staff enough that I felt comfortable coming to them openly with suggestions and constructive criticism. The flexibility, observation, and cooperation demonstrated by Dawg Daze Leader were essential in their being able to handle ambiguity well and keep the events on track.
Empowerment
Dawg Daze is essentially centered around an empowerment of the incoming UW class. Throughout Dawg Daze we are inviting them to be a part of our community, sharing our knowledge and our own experience at UW so that they may benefit by it. By sharing information and resources we are able to give new students a foothold as they start out at UW, allowing them to feel more confidence, a sense of belonging, and be more successful. As a Dawg Daze Leader I strive to be transparent without being overwhelming, giving students all the information I think will be helpful to them, partly in the hopes that they will share it amongst themselves and thus empower each other through their interactions.
Lessons Learned and Future Oriented Statement
I consider the Dawg Daze Leaders to be a highly effective group, as well as one that is fulfilling and enjoyable to be a part of, and I’m rather convinced that the two are related. I’ve found that the prospect of working together and completing tasks as a team of equals is energizing and motivating for me personally. I am inspired by the dedication and generosity I see in others to positively serve their community. It is validating to share a passion with others and work towards it together. I also recognize that each person’s attitude and effort can have a huge impact on the group, and this makes me aware of the attitude that I bring to any community or endeavor.
Dawg Daze is one of the things I most look forward to about the beginning of each academic year. I enjoy having something to offer others and receiving in return their appreciation.
I am able to invest in the incoming class and influence their first impressions of UW and the community I hope they will find and help to establish here. I love building community and connections myself with other students who share my passion for serving and helping others. I believe that having caring and helpful upperclassmen taking an interest in and pointing new students in the right direction can make all the difference to them.
Tasks Accomplished
· Attended training in September, establishing community and a common experience and preparation among the Dawg Daze Leaders
· Registered students for Dawg Daze events, giving them useful information and serving as an ambassador for the UW and First Year Programs
· Communicated as part of a group of student leaders – organizing events and building community amongst ourselves
· Participated in various events welcoming students to campus, seeking to engage them and encouraging peer-peer interactions
· Set-up for events behind the scenes with a team of fellow leaders
· Led student tours highlighting student services and campus resources
· Helped organize and volunteer at events overlapping with my personal communities on campus: Husky Running Club and Honors
Leadership Competencies Gained
Collaboration
One of the notable characteristics of Dawg Daze is that it’s very much set up to encourage and celebrate teamwork. Dawg Daze Leaders are organized into teams (with a healthy dose of team competition encouraged) and throughout our two weeks as Dawg Daze Leaders we are often working together in order to bring about events that make an impact on UW’s incoming students. I’ve come to recognize the importance of Dawg Daze training as a time for the Leaders to actively meet each other and go through a common experience which allows us to establish trust and relationships and function more effectively as a team as a result. I learned that taking risks in being vulnerable and curious during this time allowed me to make valuable connections with others, learning about their interests and passions. Dawg Daze Leaders overall formed a team of students that functioned rather autonomously, with guidance from FYP staff and student coordinators, and we were motivated by our mutual interest in serving others and our willingness to contribute our own effort.
Responding to ambiguity
With so much packed into a couple of weeks, Dawg Daze always seems to go by at a breakneck pace. Surprisingly little falls through the cracks, though. Througout my time as a DD Leader I witnessed several instances of quick-thinking contingency plans being put into effect. The students, as ambassadors throughout the program, often face instances where they must make decisions in unclear situations as well. There were times when DD Leaders would be delegated to work in a particular area, and we would end up with too many or too few around to help efficiently, and so it was a matter of finding out where to relocate people to. Similarly, situations in which there were no clear directives became opportunities for me to identify on my own how I could be of service. When directions weren’t clear I felt I had the authority vested in me—as a Dawg Daze Leader—and in most cases the necessary resources to be able to innovate a solution confidently. Throughout Dawg Daze I felt valued and respected by the First Year Programs staff enough that I felt comfortable coming to them openly with suggestions and constructive criticism. The flexibility, observation, and cooperation demonstrated by Dawg Daze Leader were essential in their being able to handle ambiguity well and keep the events on track.
Empowerment
Dawg Daze is essentially centered around an empowerment of the incoming UW class. Throughout Dawg Daze we are inviting them to be a part of our community, sharing our knowledge and our own experience at UW so that they may benefit by it. By sharing information and resources we are able to give new students a foothold as they start out at UW, allowing them to feel more confidence, a sense of belonging, and be more successful. As a Dawg Daze Leader I strive to be transparent without being overwhelming, giving students all the information I think will be helpful to them, partly in the hopes that they will share it amongst themselves and thus empower each other through their interactions.
Lessons Learned and Future Oriented Statement
I consider the Dawg Daze Leaders to be a highly effective group, as well as one that is fulfilling and enjoyable to be a part of, and I’m rather convinced that the two are related. I’ve found that the prospect of working together and completing tasks as a team of equals is energizing and motivating for me personally. I am inspired by the dedication and generosity I see in others to positively serve their community. It is validating to share a passion with others and work towards it together. I also recognize that each person’s attitude and effort can have a huge impact on the group, and this makes me aware of the attitude that I bring to any community or endeavor.