Today we are featuring Djenne Dickens, member of Mu Sigma Upsilon Sorority, Inc!
Voices ring across the courtyard. Energy bounces and feeds off of the enthusiasm building in the air. The first years in upper cents might not appreciate the loud noise drifting up through their windows at 7am in the morning, yet the Orientation Leaders are pumped for the opportunities to guide the new students into collegiate life at Lehigh.
During my positions as an Orientation Leader and evoLUtion peer leader, I learned how to facilitate productive discussions, connect with people from various backgrounds, and discover new areas of growth I need to work on for my own personal development. This was an eye opening experience where I gained the confidence and tools to become a valuable resource for my peers. After becoming a leader on campus, I was able to use my connections to the Class of 2020 to educate them about various opportunities on campus. For example, I detailed how there are other Greek organizations on campus than the ones located on the hill such as honors fraternities or the organizations within the Cultural Greek Council. I also encouraged students to visit different communities on campus such as the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Pride Center, and the Women’s Center. I think informing incoming students of opportunities they may not have heard about helps to promote an inclusive Lehigh community.
My experiences as an Orientation Leader can be applied to my sorority membership because now I have the tools to educate potential new members of various opportunities on campus that they may enjoy. This may even take shape in activities such as the Myers Briggs Evaluations that we completed during orientation training. Activities like these can help individuals within a chapter learn more about their own strengths and personal challenges, which can reflect what a chapter may need to work on as a whole. There are so many tools and great experiences that I am extremely thankful for that I gained from being an Orientation Leader. Today, I do my best to connect this knowledge to life in Mu Sigma Upsilon Sorority, Incorporated, a sisterhood that I value unconditionally.