Tell us more about ONE or TWO activities listed above that are most important to you.
Please explain the role you played and what you learned in the process. You will be asked for a reference who can speak to your response.
(maximum 350 words)
As a mentor during my school's multi-grade Camp Squamish, I was able to guide a bond with a group of younger students from grades 8 to 10. I wanted to build a warm relationship with my team, have them all involved as equal members, and make sure they had fun together while doing their activities. To prepare for my interactions with the team, I asked my teachers beforehand about each student in my team regarding their personality, strengths, and weaknesses. Once we reached camp, I played two icebreakers with them to create a welcoming first impression. Throughout the camp events, I stayed aware of how each student interacted with others. With these observations and my previous knowledge about each member, I challenged myself in providing a better camp experience for my group. Whenever we had eaten together as a team, I directed the conversation to have them be more acquainted with each other. As an outgoing person, I had to adjust to the quieter kids of the group. This improved my capacity to manage and understand people who contrasted me. These kids are not only more reserved, but they are also vigilant and tend to appraise all given factors before taking action. These are traits that I wish to continue developing myself, as these are qualities that help prevent the team from making mistakes. When it came to activities, my team would focus on only one or two ways in solving their puzzles; but once I gave them hints about considering other strategies, they became much more efficient. This moment demonstrated that there is value in being aware of and appreciating such methods. In addition, incorporating these techniques with systems we already know can enhance our problem solving as well. The most important lesson from my experiences was that it takes time to build trusting relationships with each of my members, as some were more apprehensive than others. Nevertheless, the outcome of a strong rapport amongst our team had ultimately facilitated our abilities to work and have fun together. (339)
Please tell me what I did well so that I can implement it into my other future essays, along with any suggestions. Thanks in advance!