One group in particular that I can remember that I joined deliberately was the Patton Hall Community Council. As a freshman, you always hear your elders telling you to get involved in your first year of college, so this group was one that I joined to participate and build leadership skills. To be on the council, you had to go through an election process and be voted in by your peers in the building. So, since I was living in Patton Hall, I had to connect with every resident on a personal level in order to get votes and also to get a better understanding of the possible representation I had to bring forth to my potential council. Even though it is not a group that EVERYONE can just join, the way I connected with the group still connects greatly to some of the concepts mentioned in Chapter 4 of our book.

The election process was rough. We had to participate in debates with our fellow competition, and since we are all freshmen in Patton Hall, we were all very eager last year. Bear in mind that I was running for the Treasurer position. The Five Factor Model of Personalities, or “The Big Five”, was something that I could easily relate to with this process. To stand out among the competition, I had to exhibit extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness. Painting a positive image, I had to show my personality by being:

• Extroversion
  • Enthusiastic
  • Bold
  • Energetic
• Agreeableness
  • Kind
  • Cooperative
• Conscientiousness
  • Organized
  • Efficient
  • Systematic
• Neuroticism
  • Relaxed
  • Calm
  • Emotionally Stable
• Openness
  • Intelligent
  • Creative
  • Imaginitive

Without having these traits, there was no way I could have been elective by my fellow peers into the position. Because we were the council for the residence hall, we were to represent the people of that hall and listen to their concerns, while also putting on special programs for the residents. So, for this process of actually being put into the group, I had to fit in with these characteristics as a representation of my group personality. This model can also be seen even when making friends. No one is a careless, sloppy, disorganized, temperamental, and unsociable person (even if they may seem like it); which leads me to believe that everyone can exhibit these traits.

Even on the campaign trail, I can remember exhibiting social anxiety, which is also mentioned in Chapter 4. I can remember during the debate night, I had not packed the proper clothes for the event, so I showed up in a tee and shorts, while my competitors were dressed in fully fashioned suits and dresses. I guess I didn’t get the memo. I became very embarrassed very quickly, so I just did what I do best: I was myself. I didn’t try to paint a false image or representation of myself, and I told the audience that I was NOT going to do that to them either. This is when I believed that I was going to win, and I did–so I guess it isn’t all that bad showing up in improper dress attire.

As for the biggest determinant for me running for and accepting the nomination into the council was just because I wanted to get involved and wanted to gain more leadership experience as a freshman. Even if our group dynamic was off and we did really get along much, we still succeeded in the overall mission: to properly represent the residents of Patton Hall by listening to their concerns and taking action. Because of this journey I partook in last year, I believe that I am much more equipped to serve as not just a leader for others, but for personal growth and development as well.

This is a picture of our first bulletin board that we created. (PS: I’m on the O in “Council”!)