Today marks my first official visit as a CLC!

This summer flew by quickly with moving out of San Marcos, CLC training, and of course enjoying time with friends. Recently I have been reflecting on past leadership experiences of mine. My fondest memory was being a Freshman Council advisor for the Associated Student Government.

I went into the position without a clue of what I was doing. All I knew is that I wanted to impact the Freshmen Council members. This was the year I honed in on my leadership skills and witnessed a lot of self-growth. I wanted to be a role model for the 25 freshmen I advised and with that came self-awareness. I cleaned up my social media accounts, went to class every day, and even changed my wardrobe. I realized if I wanted to be effective with these students I couldn’t just talk the talk, but I had to walk the walk. This is the year I realized how important it was to lead by example. If I ever steered off path I had a co-advisor that was my “guardrail” to get me right back on it.

I feel like if you inject the Freshman Council advisor role with some steroids it becomes a CLC. This year instead of mentoring 25 freshmen it will be hundreds of collegians and instead of having just one person act as my “guardrail” I have 12 teammates. This thought excites me and scares me at the same time. It is exciting to know I have the possibility of positively impacting so many collegians. It scary to know there is a possibility of not impacting anyone. That last thought is what will push me throughout the year. I don’t want to be a CLC that just meets with officers and writes reports. I want to be the CLC that makes a difference, that empowers, and that will inspire.

I can’t even begin to describe how proud I am of the Freshmen Council members I advised. They have grown into leaders on campus and role models for their peers. There are even a handful of them that I personally look up to. I know after I visit these chapters I will be proud of the Gamma Phi Betas I meet and if I’m not then I’m doing something wrong.

This is year will be nothing less than a journey. I will lead by example of what I expect from the women I meet and with this will come continued self-awareness. I am excited for this growing experience and to discover what leadership skills I will find in myself throughout the year.