Final Reflection As the semester comes to an end, I am now reflecting on my experiences in HDF 417.

My internship was based out of the Center for Student Leadership Development and I served as the Undergrad Mentor for HDF 291: Rose Butler Browne Peer Mentoring Program. In my reflection, I will reexamine the goals I set for myself, review my overall experience as the Undergrad Mentor, and analyze the effects that resulted from my internship environment and overall experience. By reflecting on these experiences, I will be able to better elaborate on my professional development as well as my emotional growth. Completing my Leadership Inventory and completing weekly Sakai posts have helped me develop a better understanding of my experiences. Reflecting on all of these components of the HDF 417 course will give me the motivation to grow as a leader, mentor, and student. My goals for my internship were to serve as an advocate for students, be a liaison between the students and the instructors, guide students through the course rather than do the work for them, staying focused and on topic during class, and continuing to educate myself. I implemented serving as an advocate for students by meeting with students one-on-one. During these meetings, students were able to express their concerns or worries about classwork, homework, group presentations, and readings. Some students were concerned with the class environment and spoke to me about it. After speaking to the students, I would relay the message to the instructors. This allowed for my next goal to be meet, being the liaison between the instructors and the students. My goals of being an advocate and being a liaison were met because I meet with both parties separately and relayed messages between both groups.

I achieved my goal of guiding students through the course rather than doing the work for them by telling students to refer to the syllabus, reflect on their notes, and encouraging my students to engage in self-reflection. An example of achieving this goal was accomplished by me challenging students each time they relied on me to provide simple answers that could be easily found in various resources provided to the students. I accomplished my goal of staying focused and on topic during class by writing down set goals for each class period and being sure to follow through. By writing down what I needed to accomplish for each class period, I was able to visualize my tasks. Listing my goals also served as a reminder to me. An example of accomplishing this goal would be when I facilitated a class discussion and had an agenda with me. By having this agenda, I was able to keep track of the topics I had planned and stay on topic. Lastly I achieved my goal of educating myself by reading all the assigned readings for the course and taking notes during class discussion. Though I was not a student enrolled in the course, I still was in charge of helping others taking the course. My role as an Undergrad Mentor meant I had to be knowledgable of class discussions, assignments, and expectations. To help my students progress, I had to have adequate information to refer to when asked questions. My training as an Undergrad Mentor was completed in the Fall 2013 semester as well as during winter break. I was trained by the instructors of the course in meetings. These meetings included an overview of the course, a run through of the curriculum, and I was provided with a binder that included a syllabus, readings, and PowerPoint Presentation slides. My training was satisfactory because of my already established relationship with the instructors. Also, I was a former HDF 291 student and was familiar with the class structure. Even before starting my internship, I felt prepared to serve as the Undergrad Mentor. The instructors and I organized a

class retreat which helped the students as well as myself integrate into the culture of the class. As a Leadership Minor, I was already integrated into the culture of the Center for Student Leadership Development. I maintained and built relationships with my students by speaking to them outside of class as well. I built and maintained relationships with the instructors during my weekly meetings before class. The overall integration was satisfactory because of the smooth transition that occurred from former student to Undergrad Mentor with the guidance and support of the instructors. I believe I left a positive affect on the internship environment. I was the first Undergrad Mentor for HDF 291 and it was a successful role. The Undergrad Mentor role will now be a permanent component of HDF 291. The class environment was different from past years because of my role as Undergrad Mentor. I was able to provide support to students while helping instructors administer the class. My experience as the Undergrad Mentor for HDF 291 transformed my leadership style. I am a servant leader and my experiences as an Undergrad Mentor helped reinforce my passion for helping others.