Backpack Leadership
Lessons learned from across the pond
By Jen Miller
University of Tampa grad and former editor of the campus paper, The Minaret, Jen Miller spent spring semester 2001 studying in England and came home with more than souvenirs. Now, she shares how travel built her up as a leader with skills he could use back home.When I was given the chance to study abroad at Oxford University in England, I was both excited and scared.
Deciding to go was the most important thing I have done to become a better leader–and I didn’t even know it. Through my failures and triumphs, I learned key skills that any campus leader needs in order to be successful.
Courage
My first day there was a
disaster. I was terrified. I had never left the United States - in fact, the
farthest west I’d ever gone was Tampa. While toting two oversized and
overstuffed suitcases, a backpack and duffle bag, I found myself more than
lost in Heathrow airport in London—one of the largest in the world. My arm
muscles gave out, and all I could think of were my parents’ warnings about
European thieves who prey on young American females. So I sat on my luggage
and cried. Someone could have come up to me and said, “Excuse me, ma’am. I
am a professional pickpocket. Could I have your wallet, passport and
travelers’ checks, please?” and I would have handed them over.
While I was afraid to go on this trip by myself, I found out that I could do it on my own. It gave me the courage to taken on challenges that had no tangible solution, to take risks. Sometimes, just the journey’s fun.
A Broader
Perspective
Any
time you go to a foreign country, you can’t help but feel like you're part
of a global community. The U.S. can make you feel as if nothing exists
outside our boundaries. By living in a country that's an amalgam of
different nationalities and so small that it's pushed and swayed easily by
the actions of other countries, I could feel a global influence. This
included learning about other countries and accepting their views and
values. Instead of judging their different ways of life, I learned about
them. When I returned home, I started doing this with everyone.
Patience
I was lost in Athens,
Greece, when two elderly men came up to me and tried to help me find my way,
even though my map was in English, which neither of them spoke. For nearly a
half hour, they scratched their heads, pointed this way and that until they
sent me safely on my way – all without sharing a common language. Even when
I was in England and sharing a common language, I was the foreigner in
dealing with the culture, dialect and social practices. When I flubbed a
commonality (such as forgetting to use a strainer for tea and dumping leaves
in my cup) or vocabulary (saying “sweatpants” instead of “jogging
trousers”), people took their time to show me the English way of
doing things.
It was in times like these when I realized what a difference patience can make. At home, I showed the same patience to new staff writers who were essentially foreigners to journalism. I took more time with freshmen, especially those who had just moved far from home. I would mentor them, not just in writing but also in adjusting to college.
Time Management
Oxford works on the tutorial system where you meet with the professor
one-on-one only once a week. You get a topic and write an eight-page paper
for the next session.
While I enjoyed the freedom of the tutorial system, it forced me to develop time-management skills. There were no mandatory classes or even lectures. I had to find the information on my own. I had to set aside time each day to work on my papers, whether it was in the library, typing, or revising. I also had to find people to edit my work for lack of classmates.
The experience also reminded me that I was in school to learn, which is easy to forget between constant meetings and activities. I focused on education, setting other things aside when I had that paper to write or assignment to read, yet I still had time to be involved and even take on more responsibilities.
Stepping Out
While the Oxford experience helped me to grow as a leader, it also helped me
grow as a person. I was willing to take new risks, both professionally and
personally. I wasn’t afraid to try new things or go to new places. I had
widened my view and goals.
When I returned in the spring, I was nearly fired because of my previous “lack of people skills.” However, I turned it around for the fall, and we had a record high number of staff members. Our paper, the University of Tampa Minaret, was awarded Honorable Mention in the Florida Leader best private college newspaper category in 2002 – not bad for a newspaper that hadn’t won an award since 1980. I also took top honors in the Society of Professional Journalists “Mark of Excellence” award for editorial writing in Region Three, and now I’m a national finalist. All this because, as a staff, we took risks in trying out new ideas, and as a writer, I wrote about topics that I had shied away from before out of fear.
I tried new things that: homecoming court, writing contests, and speaking at graduation. They all happened just because I tried. And sometimes, I took a risk and failed, but why not try? I’m applying for a Rhodes Scholarship this fall, which would take me back to England for another two years of study, but it's incredibly difficult to get (32 students are picked out of nearly a thousand). But how will I know if I don’t try?
Jen Miller is a graduate student at Rutgers University-Camden Campus where she is studying for her M.A. in English literature. She is also a freelance writer and working on a book about her undergraduate experience at the University of Tampa. You can reach Jen at dzjen27@hotmail.com.
Copyright © 2006 Oxendine Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved
Fall 2002 Index
Fall 2002 Home
|
