Orientation Daze - Week 1
Kia Ora mates!
Tonga here (duh, who else) with some updates on .. wait for it .. my first week as an LIA Intern! So many things took place during 'orientation week' aka 'hell week' aka 'nametag essential because I suck with names' week.
Must I begin with the honest truth though? This is probably one of the more rare occasions where I actually like the group of human beings that LEAP had jumbled together for this 8 week adventure. Though we seem to hold different leadership and communication styles, we all seem to mesh well with each other.
Compatibility .. 10/10!
Just as EVERY orientation week should start, us interns briefly got to meet and greet over a variety of breakfast foods. And might I add that breakfast was essential to waking up our brains for the intense mental workout we'd soon get into. I'm talking 8-10 hours each day, dedicated to understanding who we were as leaders, team players, and communicators.
So yes, I will reiterate .. breakfast was as essential as the name tags.
My favorite workshops were led by Matt, the guru facilitator. Not only was the material he presented effective, but it actually made sense at 9am in the morning. Talk about win-win right?
Matt did not steer away from real-life situations. One workshop in particular focused on how to go about diffusing a difficult situation. As we did with our other workshops, Matt had us pair into groups and role play different scenarios that portrayed a difficult situation. After each pair presented to the group, Matt incorporated his own experience by asking us for advice .. yes, a man of knowledge and tenure experience on effective leadership was asking a group of twenty something year old's how to go about diffusing a real-life situation.
Pause for applause.
Overall, I really liked the curriculum of LEAP's orientation week. Though it made my 5 day week seem like 5 decades, I must give credit where it's due.
It's never easy trying to create a cohesive group of student-interns who aren't out to kill each other. Michelle and Nancy did such a great job at creating a space that allowed us (interns) to get to know each other both in the workplace and in a more lax setting.
I've met a few people who, just off the bat, I connect well with. It's organizations like LEAP that allow for the growth of my very small network to expand.
Btw, the food was bombbbbbb. Shoutout to Park's Finest and their cornbread .. 5 star rating right hurrrrr.
Like I say, good food and good company (#GFGC) is all you need in this life!!!
Tomorrow, I begin my internship with Asian Pacific Islander Obesity Prevention Alliance (APIOPA) with the infamous Scott.