16 Skills Samples for Discussion

“I have no idea, but I will learn” was the thought I had when learning about running for an executive position in the Residents’ Interhall Congress. In my freshman year, my roommate came back from a Lead Hogs meeting which she was heavily involved in. She talked to me about the different leadership organizations on-campus that were tied to University Housing, one being RIC. Although I had never served as a representative for the organization, I was adamant about learning by reading resources from their website, reaching out to executive members in my hall, and attending their office hours to ask more questions. I set appointments with the Career and Development center to practice a mock interview, and I felt prepared. As I was sitting outside of my official interview room, I felt a wave of relief wash over me as I realized all the effort, I had taken to be a part of this organization was about to be tested.

During the interview, I was being asked questions that I was familiar with, and I was answering them left and right. After I left, I thought to myself that I hoped they would see me as a valuable member of the team and serve as the National Communications Coordinator (NCC). Being the National Communications Coordinator means serving as the liaison between the University of Arkansas with our regional and national affiliates. As some time passed, I learned that I was offered the position, and I was shocked that they entrusted me with carrying out a role as an executive member, even though I had not been involved in the organization prior to that. It was at that moment that I strived to grow the position and serve as an example to people who have not been involved in a leadership role that if you are dedicated and willing to learn, you can be a valuable team player. While it sounded like my fairytale was coming to its happy ending, I started to encounter some dilemmas.

Per instruction from the constitution, outgoing executive members were supposed to help incoming executive members transition into their newly appointed role. I learned later on that I was not given the proper transition report from the previous executive member in my position. I had also grown to learn about our organization not being as present in our regional and national affiliates as it should actively be. The biggest task NCCs have is to create bids, which are nominations for people and organizations on campus to be considered for awards. For the past few years, there have not been any submissions from our university. While I had these setbacks, it was my goal to re-establish our institution as being a legitimate institution and serve my organization well. I started with attending regional and NCC meetings as if it was mandatory. I communicated with my advisors and executive team to let them know what was happening in the region. Once a week, RIC has House meetings where we vote on bills and give executive reports to update the representatives on what we have been up to. I also wanted to let representatives in our House meeting know what I have been doing and being open to communication. I was also able to fulfill my role which had not been done in a while from previous NCCs of submitting two bills in the Fall 2022 conference. That set me up for success where I led delegates at my first-ever conference, which was virtual. Although it was a novel position I had served in, being eager to learn and utilizing my resources helped me become the leader that I want to represent.