By Brianna Goodman
Every year, dozens of college orientation leader teams from nine different states meet up for a Southern Regional Orientation Workshop. This year the event was held at Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky, and nearly 2,000 students were in attendance. The 3-day workshop is full of school pride, networking opportunities, and the chance to see how differently the same job can be done from team to team.
As a new member of AUM’s S.W.O.T. Team (Successful Warhawks Orientation and Transitions Team) I had no idea what to expect. The first day was kicked off with Roll Call and teams performed a quick cheer that introduced them to the other schools. The real fun, however, started after dinner; every team also performed a song, dance or skit that represented who they were and what they did. The S.W.O.T. Team’s song was a mash-up of “Eye of the Tiger” and “I’ll Make A Man Out Of You,” with changed lyrics that showed a student fighting off home sickness, finding their classes and making friends along the way.
The second day was spent going to different educational classes that were taught by Orientation Leaders from the many different schools. The subjects varied from learning how to use social media effectively, to how to be activists on our campuses, and even how to “shake it off” and deal with students that may not want to be at their orientation session for whatever reason. All of these classes were designed by the leaders for the leaders, to share information on how to provide the best orientation possible.
That night, after classes and dinner were finished, the party started. There were inflatable slides, photo booths, Segway’s and a Silent Disco. Everyone came together and had a blast. New friendships were made, old friendships were strengthened and memories were made.
I knew that I had just experienced something incredible, and the next day when it came time for the closing ceremonies I was sad that it was already over. I knew I wasn’t alone as I looked around and saw my fellow teammates feeling the same way. “It was a great experience. I love being a part of the orientation team, and it was neat seeing the other college orientation teams coming together,” said Marlee Damrel, a fellow new S.W.O.T. Team member. “I learned many things on how to become a better orientation leader over the weekend. This was a fun few days spent with some amazing people.”
Photo Courtesy of Joel Hughes