The boat. Where we did our research. Where I conquered my fears.

LESSONS LEARNED

From this experience, I believe a gained a lot of skills and experience in terms of overcoming obstacles and personally uncomfortable situations set before me. I have been able to take this experience it and used it as proof that I can overcome significant obstacles such as when I was rejected from my major the first couple times I applied. Knowing the experiences I have gone through and the skills I developed throughout this study abroad, I was reluctant to take ‘No’ as an answer from the department application committee. Thankfully, I didn’t give up and eventually I gained acceptance to the department and on a bigger scale to continue to follow my passion and dreams. Over time I have found that the competencies I initially developed on this study abroad have only amplified and become more robust. With every successfully overcome challenge, and even the not so successful ones, I have reaffirmed and expanded upon the competencies initially developed while on this study abroad. I plan on continually reflecting on these experiences to ensure I do not forget where I most vividly recall developing them and where I can still improve every one of my developed leadership competencies.

Confidence

If there is anything that I took away from this experience in both the larger sense of my study abroad and in the specific situation of data collection, it would have to be confidence. To be more specific, self-confidence is what I believe I developed significantly while on my study abroad. From tackling a situation that made me very apprehensive to attempting to relieve the apprehension of others, I was able to develop a strong sense of confidence about myself and my own abilities to overcome obstacles set before me. I am now confident I can face even the most personally apprehensive situations and take it one step further to inspire and motivate others to do the same and not let their fears dictate what one can or can’t accomplish.

Self-Understanding

As briefly addressed through the other competencies in this experience, I gained an undeniable understanding of who I was and who I could become through facing my own challenges and fears. From that moment, when I decided to step onto that boat and embark on the data collection journey, I knew my self-understanding would be forever changed. It was one of the first times I specifically challenged what I thought I could accomplish and actively chose to not let myself succumb to doubts in my abilities. Ultimately, I will always remember this experience, and that moment in particular, as the time when I grew an immense sense of self-understanding.

Self-Development

Similarly to that of my self-understanding competency, I also gained an appreciation for the self-development I acquired through this experience. Once I came back from the data collection and shared the information I had acquired with my team I had some time to reflect on the experience with them. I recall the excitement in my voice as I told them how much I enjoyed the experience, especially considering that I did not want to go on the boat in the first place. It was at that point when one of my team members stated, "it sounds like you really grew from going out and collecting this data for us." It was not until my team member made this statement that I began to consider the self-development this simple experience had provided me with and how it would be something that I will forever be grateful for—conquering my fear.

Initiative & Responding to Change

In terms of the collecting data situation, I believe this greatly developed my ability to take charge of a situation, especially when others cannot. In other words, I believe I was able to develop the ability to take initiate even in situations where I am not completely comfortable handling the obstacle set before me. This situation also allowed me to develop the ability to quickly and efficiently respond to change and a changing environment. To elaborate, not only did I go out to collect data once, but I also volunteered to help another team collect their data which meant having to go out on another boating excursion. Even though I had not initially planned to go on the boat once, I ended up going on the data collecting excursion multiple times in an attempt to help those around me also reach their goals of collecting the necessary data. In doing so, I believe I helped inspire even those that were most apprehensive of stepping on a boat to do it with excitement and comfort. I recall the professors and staff informing my peers to not to be afraid of the excursion as I had not only overcome my own apprehensions but volunteered to continually going back to help others. Ultimately, this only further reassured me that I could not have handled the changing situation any better or took any higher initiative than what I did.

Diversity

In terms of the study abroad as a whole, I believe through this experience I was able to quantify and understand the importance of diversity, and more specifically, the benefits of diversity in a team. I was able to contribute my own thoughts and ideas to my team members when I saw concepts and problems in a very different way than their own perspectives. Similarly, when I was having difficulty understanding one member, another would provide their own explanation allowing us to quickly come to agreements regardless of any initial problems we faced. It was through this diversity that I believed we were as successful as we were and as previously stated where I found the true importance of diversity in a team environment.

Empowerment

First, I believe I developed a strong sense of empowerment through my study abroad and more specifically through the previously described situation of data collection I accomplished for our team. As I look back now, I see that situation as a defining moment in my current ability to gravitate to situations I am not completely comfortable with or those that are very new to me. Not only did I overcome my fears but I enjoyed being out and doing what I felt was a significant task for more than just myself. As I reflect, I see that is where I began to develop the sense of empowerment in accomplishing tasks I find difficult or uncomfortable accomplishing throughout my college career.

Personal Contributions

My personal contributions were also evident in this experience as it allowed me to contribute in a way that, although initially uncomfortable, was necessary to the overall success of our research team. It allowed me to make a very specific personal contribution, namely, the collection of data by the means of a boat trip to Moreton Bay. Additionally, my personal contributions ensured that we not only had sufficient data but also encouraged others to face their fears and attempt data collection for their own teams even if they had sufficient data. In doing so, these individuals were able to challenge their own perceptions of what they were able to accomplish hen they set their minds to it.

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES GAINED

Throughout this experience, I believe I gained a lot of leadership competencies that have transcended all aspects of my life. These leadership competencies include: empowerment, personal contributions, diversity, initiative, responding to change, confidence, self-understanding, and self-development.

TASK ACCOMPLISHED

Specifically, while on this study abroad, I was able to successfully create and answer a research question as part of an engineering team which included 2 other members. We were able to work together and with our peers to successfully evaluate relevant research, create a thoughtful research question, collect data, analyze the data, and then present our findings to the hosting institution and our peers. One of the more vivid memories I have regarding this experience was during the data collection phase of the work we accomplished while on the study abroad.

At the time, I did not know how to swim and collecting data involved taking a boat ride out to Moreton Bay and collecting water quality data to later analyze. Unfortunately, one of my team mates was feeling very ill and the other one couldn’t get on a boat because she would get very sea sick and wouldn’t be able to effectively obtain the data we needed. Therefore, I felt it was my responsibility to go out on the boat and obtain the data necessary for our research. Although I was particularly uncomfortable with this situation due to my inability to swim, I overcame my fear and went out to collect the data we needed. Reflecting on this simple task I accomplished, I believe it definitely changed how I see obstacles and uncomfortable situations to this day. I have learned that any and all obstacles set before you are nothing more than an opportunity for one to grow as a person, even when no immediate benefit can be perceived.

PERSONAL IMPORTANCE

I have often felt that throughout my life I haven’t pushed myself to try and experience new things, largely accepting and admiring consistency in my life. But after my first year at the university, I felt this was one aspect of my life I needed to work to drastically improve on. Therefore, when I heard of this opportunity to study abroad in Australia I thought it would be the perfect time to not only partake in a study abroad but also expose myself to situations and experiences I wouldn’t normally be comfortable with. I also felt it was necessary for me to voice my thoughts and opinions to others in this study abroad as I believed my experiences and skills could help create a much more diverse and therefore more robust team. Luckily, I had the opportunity to make these aspirations a reality when I participated in thoughtful discussions and problem solving situations with my team on the study abroad. Ultimately, this allowed me to see the importance of exposing oneself to situations that you may not ever think possible. For example, I would have never thought I could have been able to leave my family for an extended period of time, discuss and problem solve with a diverse team of engineers, and all while being in a country that was completely new to me.

OVERVIEW

One curricular experience I believe I grew significantly from as a leader was that of my study abroad experience in Australia. Although I was very excited to partake in this amazing opportunity, it forced me to begin thinking about how far out of my comfort zone this experience would push me. It would be the first time I would be leaving the country, the first time I would be away from family for an extended period of time, and it was to take place right after my freshman year. Ultimately, the purpose of the study abroad was to obtain a greater understanding of the complexities of working in teams on a research project regarding water quality monitoring in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. The study abroad was created as an engineering study abroad, something that was very uncommon at the time. Therefore, I was excited at the opportunity to learn how engineers from very different walks of life can, and very often do, come together to solve complex problems. Moreover, I was eager to see if I could develop the skills to work in this context with other engineers and even possibly lead my team’s efforts to answering our research question.

Conquering Percieved Fear

Through Intentional Action

EXPLORER OF THE UNKNOWN

Empowerment, Personal Contributions, Diversity, Initiative, Responding to change, Confidence, Self-Understanding, and Self-Development