LEAD Living Learning Center
Baylor has several Living Learning Centers (LLC) set up on campus. They are essentially communities (housed in various residence halls) that hold a shared vision and offer a space for people to grow in community, If I were to describe it to someone who had nothing to do with Baylor, I would say it's a lot like a fraternity that is sponsored by the school.
LEAD LLC is a community of about 300 that focus on leadership and the impact it can have. There are a few things we do help foster the community, such as mixers, dances, service events, intramural sports teams, among many other things. You can check out our Instagram too to get a better idea of what we do.
I have been a member for three years and have had the privilege of holding two different positions.
Fellowship Director
January 2019 to Present
This has decidedly been the most difficult thing I have ever done, but also one of the most fulfilling and fun! It has been so much work, and a I have had to face some really difficult failures, but it has still been such a great experience.
I was director of the Fellowship Team, which consists of 12 other members. They were the most amazing people ever, and it was so fantastic working with them. They put in so much work and effort and stay fun at the same time.
Our team put on most of the hall's programming. We did two dances, one of which had about 140 attendees. We put on 6 mixers every semester. These included karaoke night, capture the flag, and a tie dye night. We also ran LEAD's intramural sports and passive programming (notes and candy at people's doors). We were basically the team that was in charge of fun, and everyone I worked with exemplified that. Truly an amazing group of people.
In addition to that, I was on the executive team (the directors of each team). We ran the program in a more overarching sense. We conducted interviews, training, and a few other random events here and there. That team consisted of six other people who were also fantastic to work with, I am so blessed to have been supported by such great people, and I am so glad I can have those relationships for the rest of my life.
Mentor
August 2018 to May 2019
This was a really fantastic experience because I got to really deeply know my 12 "mentees." There were two parts to the position.
First, I was a Welcome Week leader. You are partnered with another leader to guide about 30 brand new freshmen through welcome week activities. I helped lead a lot of ice-breaker activities to get everyone to know each other. We also took them to events like pep rallies, orientations, and a big Baylor-sponsored dance party. I also answered a lot of questions. It was one of the most exhausting weeks of my life, but it was also so much fun getting to help the freshmen make the transition to college.
After that, myself and my partner split up. We each took about half of the group and continued to mentor them for the rest of the semester. It was so amazing getting to know everyone in my mentor group. I held meeting every week to check in on them and hang out. There was a lot of venting about classes, and I would help them whenever I could. I helped guide them to all kinds of on-campus resources, and even gave some homework help when I could. We also threw lots of birthday parties and I baked them lots of cakes. I think this was my favorite position I've ever held. It was so awesome getting to know those people in a deeper way than I couldn't have otherwise. Those are relationships that will last for the rest of my life, which is something I'll forever be grateful for.
