“Under the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, I have retained my right to access my references.” 1. What is it about the Student Leadership position that intrigues you most? - Ever since I can remember I’ve always wanted to be involved, in school committees, clubs, sports, the community, anything and everything I wanted to be a part of. When I came to Wentworth I made a promise to myself to choose a few activities and make a genuine dedicated commitment to them, instead of overcommitting myself to a broad array of things. What intrigues me most about being a Wentworth Student Leader is that you do not have to be involved in every club, position, or board on campus, to be involved in the community. At Wentworth I have had the opportunity to be part of two to three groups; however I have collaborated with and co-sponsored events and programs with several other clubs and student leaders on campus. As a Student Leader you become familiar with the campus and what it has to offer. Most importantly you are given the opportunity and the responsibility to pass that knowledge unto other students, faculty, and incoming freshman. As a student Leader at Wentworth you have the opportunity to make a difference, the chance to foster the community in which you can not help but belong to, for the four-five years that you are here. As a Student Leader, you have knowledge, references, and professional relationships, it takes to be the solution to your peers’ questions and concerns about Wentworth. 2. What characteristics do you feel are necessary to be a successful Student Leader? - I feel above all, to be a successful Student Leader you must first be an openminded, benevolent, positive person. The main objective of a Student Leader in my mind is to reach out and make a difference in the lives or the community in which they surround themselves. Without an open-mind and an unbiased view in today’s society, especially in such a diverse community as Wentworth, it would be impossible to connect with and touch the lives of your peers, if you were not open to the differences among them. I also believe that a Student Leader should be benevolent and obtain a passion for what they do. Although two different words with two completely different meanings, when applied to Student Leadership I feel they represent each other well. As a Student Leader, there must be a driving force behind your dedication and commitment, you must genuinely care for what you are doing and feel passionately about what it will accomplish. I feel that without this quality a Student Leader will simply pass through the motions, but never truly grasp the benefits, or see the difference that they could make in their community. The last characteristic I feel a Student Leader must possess is a positive, constructive outlook. When accepting a Student Leadership position, you are accepting the responsibility of being a role model to your peers and a representative of the community. Without a positive constructive outlook one would not see how to help others, how to make a difference or how to be a role model for their peers. The distinction between wanting to make a difference and actually making that difference is seeing the positive side of the problem. 3. One of the main objectives of a Student Leader is to welcome and develop the Wentworth community. Please define your definition of “community” and how it relates to the Student Leader position. - The dictionary defines “community” as, “A group of people living in the same locality and under the same government,” but I believe it to be much more than that. Community to me is security, a place for development and growth, and an opportunity to achieve your self-satisfaction while still sharing participation in an overall common interest. In this case the common interest is our education; however I believe we can gain much more than a degree here at Wentworth. By fostering a community you are allowing people to develop and express their individuality both inside and out of the classroom. By having a community full of different clubs, organizations, activities, and employment opportunities, students can pursue their interests on campus, while still accomplishing their academic ambitions. So how do you foster a community? Committed, devoted, active students make it happen. Without Student Leaders who are dedicated to starting, running, and recruiting for these groups there would be no community on campus. Incoming students would not know what’s available to them on campus, in the Student Leadership office, or around the Boston area. Student Leaders are the key to initiating the Wentworth community. 4. Please describe a situation when you acted as a role model to your peers? - A role model to me is not someone who is perfect, or who never has done anything wrong. The qualities that make up a role model to me don’t include: straight A student, doesn’t party, or goes to church every Sunday. Although those things are all respectful in their own right, the fact is that everyone makes mistakes, and it is from our mistakes that we grow, learn, and develop into the people we want to be. A role model to me is someone who is willing to put themselves out there for someone else when no one is looking; someone who is willing to embarrass themselves so that someone else will not be embarrassed. A role model is caring, about people’s feelings, thoughts, and opinions. They are open-minded, and despite the hateful world we live in, they see the positive in the differences of others. A role model is someone who leads by example, in the way they speak to, care for, and treat others. I believe a role model should be genuine in the sense to “practice what they preach,” and always remain true to themselves. Through my experiences with Peer Mediation, and Peer Education I have realized the importance of being a role model. In High School I was involved in a Peer Mediation group, which was an alternative for students who were facing expulsion or suspension from physical violence, or who just had conflicts with other students. I was trained to mediate conflicts between students, and I had a lot of faith in the program. Being in High School it wasn’t the “coolest” thing to take someone down to peer mediation if you had a conflict. A personal dilemma with another student soon arose for me, and I had to make the choice to practice what I preached; knowing the ridicule I would face from my peers in choosing to take the mediation route. I knew however that I had made a commitment to the training, I believed in it, and no matter the outcome I would be staying true to myself. I chose the mediation route, and in the long run it all worked out for the best. I felt I was a role model at that moment. Peer Education is very similar to Peer Mediation in the sense that you must be unbiased, open-minded, and trained to deal with certain situations. During my experience with Peak I have felt as a role model several times. Each time you train someone, or have a discussion about a sensitive topic you run the risk of triggering past experiences. This is where as a role model you need to put yourself out for someone else. It might mean sharing something personal about your experiences so that someone will feel more comfortable, or it might simply be making a lecture into a peer discussion, so that people will fell at ease to participate. I believe other students look up to and view you more when you have the same problems and concerns that they have, when you are “human,” not perfect. I believe a role model is someone who can share what they’ve learned from their mistakes, to help someone that may be in a similar situation. I believe all of the work that we do as Peak members, in my meaning of the word, make us role models.