Connecting academic curriculum with meaningful public work strengthens our communities for a sustainable future.
From 2012 until the end of 2021, I have/will have served on the Board of Directors for the Apprentice Athletic Club (AAC) for 9 years in various roles.
The Apprentice Athletic Club is a non-profit organization who’s mission is to promote the best interests of the sports teams of The Apprentice School. Below is a link to our website: https://gobuilders.com/Apprentice_Athletic_Club/AAC_Information
Below is a picture of me volunteering with the club as the Chairman of the annual golf tournament (I’ve got the white hat on). This picture was from our 2015 tournament.
Below is a picture of me presenting an award at a football banquet. Every year for every sport, the AAC presents the Builder Award to an apprentice essentially with the best scores, GPA and attendance. One thing interesting about the apprentice in this picture is that we are both from the same trade, X11 Shipfitters, and he now currently works for me as a mechanic and I am his general foreman, over his foreman who was a wrestler for the school as well. I was actually a cheerleader for the school from 2008-2011.
One of the most applicable experiences from serving in this organization that relates to LeADERS and my coursework is the large amount of public speaking involved. I was well below average as a public speaker before taking courses like Contemporary Organizations and Management, MGMT 325. There I was forced to take on the stage with what seemed to be a never-ending 10 minute long presentation. A presentation that long forces you to get comfortable with yourself. This helped me present these awards which was more like a 2 minute speech at most and made it seem like a breeze after doing it so many times. It also taught me that practicing your speeches realistically is very beneficial, especially in front of an unfamiliar audience.
This serving in the AAC really taught me how to plan. The golf tournament was one of the most planning intensive events I had been involved with. It takes about 6 solid months of planning to make the event come to fruition. The planning isn’t just talking about what we are going to do, planning is getting everything together so that the day of is a success. This means contacting businesses for donations and then physically going there in some cases to pick up donations, collecting all the player info, purchasing trophies, connecting with donors, coordinating the event with the golf course and also with the athletics department to ensure players are available to help run challenges. Here is an example of a piece of the planning that takes place for the tournament: https://gobuilders.com/Apprentice_Athletic_Club/F._Farrell_Sanders_Golf_Classic_Form.pdf
This experience relates to my future goals because it is important to understand how to work in a team environment. Where all ideas should be shared and welcomed and not criticized, however balance needs to be brought so that just decisions are made for the majority and best interests of the organization in mind. The experience I had serving as secretary, vice president, president and past president have served me in learning how to handle so many situations. Patience is key, but holding people accountable is more key. I learned that you will end up doing everything on your own if you don’t hold others accountable to do their part.