the interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements or contributions.
My retreat leader mentee group and I at retreat.
All of the retreat coordinators at retreat.
All of the retreat coordinators and retreat leaders at retreat.
All of the retreat coordinators and our Retreat Advisor, Mandy Shoemaker.
All pictures taken by Jason Autry.
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This year I completed my first ever pre-approved experience through UHP as a UHP Annual Welcome Retreat Coordinator. Specifically, I was the Synergy Coordinator, informally known as "the girl with the clipboard." The UHP Annual Welcome Retreat is for incoming freshmen at UC that are enrolled in UHP. The retreat is a chance for freshmen to meet other first year students in the program, learn about UHP, and meet their UHP advisors and other staff members. I never attended the UHP Welcome Retreat because I transitioned into Honors in the spring of my freshman year, so this experience was totally new to me and I jumped in head first.
My job as Synergy Coordinator was to make sure that the leaders of the thematic area breakout sessions had all of the supplies they needed, had all of the retreat groups in their session, and were comfortable in the room they were assigned. I was also in charge of assisting the advisor in charge of the retreat with anything she needed from making sure cabin AC units were turned off during the day to reorganizing and adjusting the daily schedule. At the beginning of the retreat, I gave a hearty welcome to all of the new students and told them why I love the UHP and my favorite things about UC. This was one of my favorite parts of the retreat because I was able to share my passion with new students and (hopefully) positively impact their first impression of the University Honors Program. We were fortunate enough to have UC faculty and staff join us at retreat and present panel discussions about all of the academic disciplines at UC. My second favorite part of retreat was greeting all of the faculty and staff and making sure they were kindly welcomed and easily found the room where their panel was held. While this part of the retreat was a little overwhelming, I enjoyed it because I received so much positive feedback from the presenters and got to be outgoing and let my personality shine. I also just love meeting new people! Overall, I loved my experience at my first UHP Annual Welcome Retreat and it was a fantastic catalyst to my last year at UC. I will take the skills I fine tuned at retreat (organization, communication, problem solving) and use them in the classroom and in my everyday life. I love the UHP and feel continuously grateful for the experiences and opportunities they help me seek out. |