Academic Field

How do you see the knowledge you gained from LeADERS courses and experiences connecting to your academic field? Use specific examples.

The LeADERS program has served to further round me out as a student more than my general education courses have. Through requirements such as diversity and service learning I have become a more culturally and locally aware student. I have had the opportunity to serve my community through my leadership in programs such as the Society of Physics Students

 and the Rotaract Club. Beyond this, I have grown as a student and citizen by extending my knowledge beyond the classroom. The opportunities afforded to me by specific requirements (such as research) have allowed me to attend conferences to present my research, allow me the opportunity to apply for research grants and fellowships, and gain the skills necessary to make me not only a good scientist but also a good science communicator. 

Application of Skills

What strengths did you cultivate and apply within your LeADERS experiences? What frustrations and challenges did you face during LeADERS experiences? How did you resolve such issues in the short term? How might you respond to or resolve such challenges in the future?

The LeADERS experience has allowed me the opportunity to cultivate my skills in communication. I have grown as a communicator in a way that allows me to present research and ideas in front of large groups of people without much anxiety. During my time in LeADERS however, I often found myself struggling to balance my workload. On top of the LeADERS program, I am a dual major, I work part time to pay for school, and I am involved in several clubs on campus. Maintaining this workload as well as making time to take breaks has been incredibly difficult. There were often times where I would go days without sleeping or cooking for myself simply because I did not have time to do so. I remember a particular instance where I had stayed awake for nearly 72 hours straight because I had 3 projects due on the same day. Fortunately, I had performed well on them but afterwards learned that I can ask professors for extensions when my work piles up. I have since learned to prioritize my health over school and while there have been instances where I’ve done worse than I would have liked on assignments, my GPA overall has not taken a hit. In the future I will carry through with the understanding that the marginal benefit of prioritizing work over health is simply not worth it. I gain more from taking care of myself than I do by getting an extra point or two on a single assignment. I have learned through experience that it is only in rare circumstances that I can benefit from those unhealthy habits and that overall prioritizing myself yields a higher return than my work. 

How will you apply information or skills you have learned within LeADERS courses to your next steps, whether that be in a professional setting or graduate school? How do you envision this knowledge or skill set being useful to you in other future contexts? Use specific examples.  

I plan to attend graduate school for a Ph.D. in Physics. This means I will need a deep understanding of time management and workload management. Beyond this I will need to know how to communicate ideas and research to a broader audience (as required for the completion of a Ph.D.). The skills that I have gained during the LeADERS program will apply directly to this need. From the research requirement I will be able to directly apply my research skills and my ability to present research, and from the remainder of the LeADERS requirements I will be able to apply my time management skills.