Student leadership gives me a richer experience at TWU
I started university wanting to be involved beyond attending classes. I wanted to get more out of my years here. So I stepped into student leadership. Through leadership, I have realized my strengths and weaknesses, and have more insight into what jobs I could see myself doing. I have also learned valuable life skills.
Being a student leader involves meetings and deadlines, which has taught me time management and organization. My roles have always been in a team context, which has taught me the value of communication and working together for a common goal.
Having mentors is a crucial part to growing up and journeying in faith. Being a student leader has placed me with mentors who oversee, but also take the time to get to know me. My one-on-one conversations with these mentors have been invaluable.
Most importantly, being a student leader has caused me to grow in my relationship with God. The Qwanoes retreats mark highlights in my years here because of what I have learned about God and myself. Also, being a leader means others look to you as an example. Being “seen” by others has helped me stay accountable in my commitment to Jesus and to living a Godly life.
This year, being on SLIM this year has been a different leadership experience yet again. The work we do is similar to real journalism work: finding story leads, interviewing, editing and submitting articles on time. The skills I learn could be assets for future writing jobs. Our professional development workshops have taught me everything from graphic design to photography. Had I not been on SLIM, I would never have been exposed to the world of media and web design, two areas useful in just about any career.
In addition to her work with SLIM, primarily writing stories for this website, Gwen, a third year student, has worked with the International Student Program (ISP).
Story by Gwendolen Gower. Photo by Audrey Martin.