Semester Sweep

I knew going in that this semester would be my most challenging. For starters here was the leadership roles & other things I was filling:

Ambassadors - Vice President

Blue Key - Vice President & National Board Rep

BUILD Beauty - President 

Lambda Pi Eta - Member

Student Wellness Committee Member

Working as an assistant recruitment intern in the Admissions office

Writing/modeling for the fashion blog

Being put on the Homecoming committee towards the end of semester for next year

...and going to those six classes in between time. 

Those were just my roles, jobs, and duties to fulfill. There were times I felt pretty strained and I ran myself thin. I was also being stretched thin emotionally. Friendships have been tested and my reputation and who I am publicly have been tested. I took a leadership class this semester and I learned the costs for me as a leader has been time, stamina, and being visible in so many ways. On campus, out and about, and through the many social media outlets we have. 

There was also a death in the family. We lost a great man, my grandma's husband, whom was a grandfather to me. I haven't had much experience and tried hard to get through it for myself and also be there for my family. It showed me a lot. And it showed me love. 

I learned a lot academically too. I took a lot of core classes for my communication major and took my first public relations class. One of my classes was small group communication. We were assigned groups on day 2 of the class and we were to work as a group for the whole entire semester. This included taking tests as a group, writing papers, doing 10 hours of community service and doing a final presentation together for our final. This class kicked my butt and definitely showed me the ropes when it comes to working in groups. We formed a bond and even called our group Team Hammerpunch. I don't even know how many hours I spent with this group. It was very intense! Then I had a group for public relations and we had a real life client, the Granada Coffee Company. We got to work with them and present our PR plan to them as our final. Again, another challenging group project and my first hands on experience working in the PR world. It was fun and I plan to continue to keep up to date with the Granada Coffee Co.! 

Other highlights...

• Seeing Lady Gaga in concert TWICE!
  
• Escorting a Kansas Board of Regent when they visited Emporia State
  
• Starting my new job in the President's office
• Being selected to be a part of the Faces of ESU campaign and getting to do a photo shoot and filming for postcards and possible commercials
• Getting to help put on the Blue Key banquet recognizing 150 students at ESU
  
• Having dinner with Blue Key alums
• Becoming a member at my church in Kansas City
• Hosting the first "Guy Panel" for BUILD Beauty
  
• Going to the 150th Gala for ESU
  
• Having 3 poems published in Quivira, our student literary journal
  

The Blue Key banquet was amazing. Being on the other side and reading through the scholarship applications was really a neat experience. It was very inspiring reading over resumes, essays, and recommendation letters. It was definitely an amazing feeling to be a part of the selection process to narrow down who would potentially get scholarships. I loved giving back. And I can't wait to do it more often in the future. 

For my leadership final, we had to make a video about our leadership journey and what not. I had a blast making mine and going back and visiting old pictures and videos and reflecting on my journey, I was amazed at how much I've done and how much I've grown. Also, I love seeing all the pictures of the people in my life. I've been missing my family a lot lately and I was so happy they came and visited me last weekend. Yesterday, I was able to FaceTime my family as they were having a gathering at my house in Kansas City and tears were rolling down my face just being able to see them. I am glad it was invented. Now that I have digressed, I am going to include my video of my journey!

Our roommate has moved out and Kirsten will be moving in soon. I will be working here over the summer. Next year, I will be the public relations chair for Ambassadors and the President of Blue Key while I have Kristy lead BUILD Beauty. I will also be the scholarship chair for Lambda Pi Eta. I am anxious to see what the next year entails with the new leadership positions and changes in the my life! 

Kristy - Passing the BUILD Beauty torch to her!

New member retreat for Blue Key - Can't wait to lead these awesome people!

Thank you to everyone that has been a part of my journey and getting me through. Thank you to all that send me random messages and texts of encouragement or just random thinking of yous. It means a lot! You guys are the best!

Sparkle & Shine,

Rachel 

@rachelnmsparkle