Julia Orten

HDF 190

Professor Robert Vincent

Competences

Self-Awareness and Development, Personal Values;

In my first year leadership class (HDF 190) I developed selfawarenss by learning about

my personal values through the VIA testing. While taking the VIA test I learned my personal

values consist of, fairness, kindness, leadership, teamwork and appreciation of beauty and

excellence. I will be able to use these in my future career as a speech pathologist has I will be

constantly checking my strengths and weaknesses and trying to improve myself to be the best

speech pathologist I can be to serve the children I am trying to help in their new way of life.

Group Dynamics, Group Development;

Within my first year leadership class I was placed into a group of five strangers

where we would spend class together learning about different leadership theories and figuring

out how we use them. In the beginning of the year we were unsure of what we were supposed to

be doing and we were just getting to know each other. We grew stronger as group during our

projects as we had to work together and develop ideas and presentations together and which lead

us to create a study group for other classes. Through the year we grew from five strangers to five

friends who can work together effectively. Overall I will use this experience as a speech

pathologist as I am working with ear, nose and throat doctors trying to diagnose and work with

my patients and try to do what's best for them. Because of my first year leadership class I am
able to notice the five stages and know how to work through which I will do in my future career

when I’ll be surrounded with other people who share the same goals as me.

Communication, Advocating for a point of view;

Within my first year leadership class my group and I attended United Ways advocacy

training and put that training into effect. At the training we learned about politics and

government and how to be advocates for out school and state. In order to practice advocating for

ourselves we had to come up with an issue that my entire group was passionate about while

finding a way to get to the core of the problem to make a change. The issue my group and I came

up with was the use of plastic around URI campus. In order to create a change as a group we

wrote a letter to a freshman school senate, Mitchell Asante on our concerns of plastic used

around campus. In our letter we addressed our concerns with viable options to replace the plastic

with biodegradable cutlery. I plan on using this experience in my future job by being able to

advocate for myself in a professional manner when needed. If I am unable to handle situations

that I am passionate in a reasonable manner I will be unable to make a change for myself. This

training along with the example my group and I did presented me that I have the capability to

stand up for things I believe in and in my future career I plan to stand for the deaf community

and create change for them.