I started my journey at UNB from afar as a virtual learner. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I began my first year at Renaissance College with an obstacle to overcome; online school. I was living at home in Airdrie AB where I got to meet some incredible learners. It was in this first part of my degree that I learned about the importance of a positive attitude, authenticity, and resiliency. Online learning was a new experience in itself not to mention the newness of university coursework and expectations. First year was without a doubt a year of growth both inside and outside of my courses. I can confidently say that I would not have stuck with any other online learning atmosphere and I was eternally grateful for the RC atmosphere.
Concepts of Enhancing Personal Wellbeing
A common theme across my experience at Renaissance College was promoting wellbeing. As a busy university student, it is already difficult to find work-life balance. But to find a balance between work, life, and wellbeing, is no easy feat. In the Concepts of Enhancing Personal Wellbeing course, we learned effective strategies to taking care of ourselves and finding a healthy balance between life and academics. This course was not only about that balance, but also having confidence and coping mechanisms. Sometimes student life can be mentally challenging and having the tools in my toolbox from this course made it a lot easier to take better care of myself during those tricky times.
When we learned how to prepare mindfulness journals and meditate, I learned effective strategies to find wholeness and peace. I have used the strategies from this course in my everyday throughout my degree to find a work-life balance and wellness practices. This is in direct association with the working within frameworks indicator because I have been learning how to find wellness within the current structure in my life.
During this course, we were assigned a wellness practice to reflect on. My practice was taking a break from social media and logging my screen time every day. This study taught me how something as simple as writing down my actions has the power to change them. It made me curious about how I could use this strategy in the future to break bad habits. I am left intrigued to understand how this works for others and would love to see how my friends and family would feel if they were to participate. I have proven to myself that it is possible to make meaningful interactions out of my time on social media. I have also begun to understand the effect it has on my mental well-being and look forward to taking that into consideration when filling my free time in the future. This practice also taught me the importance of juggling many priorities and making decisions based on what you need as a leader and learner. I used this practice throughout my undergraduate degree to balance my time and make meaningful connections.
When we learned how to prepare mindfulness journals and meditate, I learned effective strategies to find wholeness and peace. I have used the strategies from this course in my everyday throughout my degree to find a work-life balance and wellness practices. This is in direct association with the working within frameworks indicator because I have been learning how to find wellness within the current structure in my life.
During this course, we were assigned a wellness practice to reflect on. My practice was taking a break from social media and logging my screen time every day. This study taught me how something as simple as writing down my actions has the power to change them. It made me curious about how I could use this strategy in the future to break bad habits. I am left intrigued to understand how this works for others and would love to see how my friends and family would feel if they were to participate. I have proven to myself that it is possible to make meaningful interactions out of my time on social media. I have also begun to understand the effect it has on my mental well-being and look forward to taking that into consideration when filling my free time in the future. This practice also taught me the importance of juggling many priorities and making decisions based on what you need as a leader and learner. I used this practice throughout my undergraduate degree to balance my time and make meaningful connections.
Leadership Foundations
In leadership foundations, we learned about different styles of leadership and the evolving theories that led to their main ideas. This was a core course that taught us the differences between leadership and management which we applied as we worked on projects in our academic and community life. This course developed some of our fundamental understandings of leadership which I have applied in almost every self-reflection. In this course, we explored knowing self and others by learning about how your values influence your preferred style of leadership. We then explored how our leadership style influences our actions as leaders and compared this with how other leadership styles hold influence. The way that one person acts based on their leadership style and then how another person acts based on theirs is a very important consideration when analyzing team dynamics because as we learned, it is very important to understand our perspective and equally as important to understand the perspective of others. Through this course we also learned how different people interact based on their values and leadership styles which expanded our understanding of the social interaction learning outcome. ...
I had to be adaptable, flexible and persevere through the challenges to logically come up with an effective plan to overcome these obstacles. I learned that communication is key in solving problems as well as having a strong support system. Both of these things were strengthened in the social interaction learning outcome’s aspect of the course and then applied to the problem-solving outcome. This course not only provided me with the opportunity to understand leadership and grow as a leader, but to grow stronger as a person. I got to reconnect with my leadership passions, but this time with a better understanding of how leadership works and looks in different contexts.
My Leadership Styles and Frameworks
As I read Northouse, my definition of leadership changed with each chapter. However, there were a couple of theories and practices that stuck with me even while I was reading other chapters. These theories and practices were the Leader Member Exchange Theory, Transformational Leadership, and Adaptive Leadership. The Leader Member Exchange theory, as touched on earlier in this paper, describes leadership as the relationship and interactions between leader and follower. The Transformational Leadership approach was an approach I had only briefly heard of in our Worldviews, Cultures and Religions course. I heard of this theory in John Valk’s piece “Leadership for Transformation - The Impact of a Christian Worldview” . The textbook defines Leadership for Transformation as “a process that changes and transforms people” (Northouse, 2018, p. 163). Finally, Adaptive Leadership is defined by Northouse (2018) as, the process by which “leaders encourage people to adapt” (p. 257). While I was reading Northouse I found myself agreeing with whichever definition was present in each chapter and also comparing them with each other. By understanding each of the leadership styles, I gained knowledge in self and others. The way our leadership values influence our decisions is a critical component to keep in mind when working with a team and because of my understanding of these values, I am confident that I have gained many assets to work as a strong leader.
I had to be adaptable, flexible and persevere through the challenges to logically come up with an effective plan to overcome these obstacles. I learned that communication is key in solving problems as well as having a strong support system. Both of these things were strengthened in the social interaction learning outcome’s aspect of the course and then applied to the problem-solving outcome. This course not only provided me with the opportunity to understand leadership and grow as a leader, but to grow stronger as a person. I got to reconnect with my leadership passions, but this time with a better understanding of how leadership works and looks in different contexts.
My Leadership Styles and Frameworks
- Servant Leadership
- Transformational Leadership
- Authentic Leadership
- Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory
As I read Northouse, my definition of leadership changed with each chapter. However, there were a couple of theories and practices that stuck with me even while I was reading other chapters. These theories and practices were the Leader Member Exchange Theory, Transformational Leadership, and Adaptive Leadership. The Leader Member Exchange theory, as touched on earlier in this paper, describes leadership as the relationship and interactions between leader and follower. The Transformational Leadership approach was an approach I had only briefly heard of in our Worldviews, Cultures and Religions course. I heard of this theory in John Valk’s piece “Leadership for Transformation - The Impact of a Christian Worldview” . The textbook defines Leadership for Transformation as “a process that changes and transforms people” (Northouse, 2018, p. 163). Finally, Adaptive Leadership is defined by Northouse (2018) as, the process by which “leaders encourage people to adapt” (p. 257). While I was reading Northouse I found myself agreeing with whichever definition was present in each chapter and also comparing them with each other. By understanding each of the leadership styles, I gained knowledge in self and others. The way our leadership values influence our decisions is a critical component to keep in mind when working with a team and because of my understanding of these values, I am confident that I have gained many assets to work as a strong leader.
Integrative Forum
The root of this course is linked to the root of Renaissance College: Critical thinking. Here, I discovered my values and learned how to critically re-evaluate to ensure that I am confident in my beliefs. This course taught me about knowing self and others, effective citizenship, multi-literacy, social interaction and problem solving. Throughout the course of my degree, I would reference key concepts that we learned in our forum readings and discussions. The course was a key component of my understanding in Renaissance College and while I may not have known at the time, provided me with the fundamentals for the majority of the learning outcomes.
In our critical discussions and readings we explored complex topics that we may not have learned about prior to coming to RC. In this assignment, I learned about effective citizenship, knowing self and others, and social interaction. These skills were first presented to me in the context of this assignment but I saw exponential growth as I began to use them more often. I practiced effective citizenship in this assignment through reflection on my privilege and how this impacts the lives of others. We learned about very important frameworks such as intersectionality which considers how people of diverse backgrounds face multiple types of oppression that stack on top of one another to significantly limit ones agency. This was a concept that I had never worked with before but it opened by eyes to the harsh realities that many of my friends face every day. In this assignment we also looked at our assumptions and how societal norms are based on a shared understanding that may not be shared by everyone. This leads to people having completely different ideas and therefore different judgements on individual actions. This is a key concept for the knowing self and others outcome because you need to understand ones worldview to go in depth and find shared understandings. As a leader this is also crucial because you need to understand how you best function in different atmospheres and how this atmospheres impact everyone else. The final key takeaway from these assignments was not an explicitly shared experience but an observation from a reflective lens. As mentioned earlier, this course was hosted online and the integrators had to do their best to adapt course content to fit the virtual atmosphere. In forum, the key objectives were to reconstruct our values and think critically about the world around us. Because of this, we still had all of these critical discussions in an online atmosphere. There was lots to take away here from a social interaction perspective because some people were more comfortable sharing their perspective from behind a screen and others were not. Personally, I struggled with this assignment because I was unable to read the room when I shared my thoughts and it was intimidating to put critical thinking messages out there without an immediate response of support. As a leader, I learned that in online atmospheres, you need to adjust your mannerisms to be more opening and connect better with your peers.
In the full year forum course, we did many substantial group projects. However the first project that opened up the course was a relatively large(15-20 page) group research paper. This was without a doubt one of my core RC memories and I still reference it to this day. The topic for this paper was "Who Owns the Internet?" and we were expected to provide substantial research to support our case. This was not only the first academic paper I had ever written of that length, but it was my first group paper. In terms of multi-literacy, this was one of the first times that I became familiar with information literacy, learning how to gather and present data. I learned the basics of APA as this was my first paper written in that style. I was thrown in the deep end with my literacy skills for this paper, especially because I was not a strong writer in high school. In terms of social interaction, we were responsible for co-creating a vision wile working with a new group of people. We decided to take a risk for this paper and argue that the Kardashians own the internet. We exercised our creative freedom and provided some solid research on this case and ultimately it paid off. However, it was definitely a bit intimidating to see other groups presenting these professional/bussiness-like papers while we were arguing that reality TV stars owned the internet. We used information literacy to back up a creative argument which is the basis of how we have had to use multi-literacy throughout this degree. It has not just been about practicing one thing at a time, but navigating different concepts and connecting them together to be relevant to each course topic. While writing this paper, it was a stressful time where we trying to make connections but also produce good work. I learned a lot about myself in this process because I was quite insecure with how my peers felt about my work and also me as a person. I had a few mental breakdowns about not thinking they will be my friends, but in the end I learned to value my hard work and dedication and make friends with people who reciprocate my energy. Finally, this was project was a wellbeing learning moment. I had to learn how to take critiques from my peers and my professors without getting emotional. This was long before I understood my mental health needs and was not very confident in my leadership or conflict management skills yet. I remember every waking minute of this project and I cannot imagine where I would be without this experience. It was emotionally draining, and academically difficult but getting through this assignment was what has motivated me to write every paper and complete every project since then.
In our critical discussions and readings we explored complex topics that we may not have learned about prior to coming to RC. In this assignment, I learned about effective citizenship, knowing self and others, and social interaction. These skills were first presented to me in the context of this assignment but I saw exponential growth as I began to use them more often. I practiced effective citizenship in this assignment through reflection on my privilege and how this impacts the lives of others. We learned about very important frameworks such as intersectionality which considers how people of diverse backgrounds face multiple types of oppression that stack on top of one another to significantly limit ones agency. This was a concept that I had never worked with before but it opened by eyes to the harsh realities that many of my friends face every day. In this assignment we also looked at our assumptions and how societal norms are based on a shared understanding that may not be shared by everyone. This leads to people having completely different ideas and therefore different judgements on individual actions. This is a key concept for the knowing self and others outcome because you need to understand ones worldview to go in depth and find shared understandings. As a leader this is also crucial because you need to understand how you best function in different atmospheres and how this atmospheres impact everyone else. The final key takeaway from these assignments was not an explicitly shared experience but an observation from a reflective lens. As mentioned earlier, this course was hosted online and the integrators had to do their best to adapt course content to fit the virtual atmosphere. In forum, the key objectives were to reconstruct our values and think critically about the world around us. Because of this, we still had all of these critical discussions in an online atmosphere. There was lots to take away here from a social interaction perspective because some people were more comfortable sharing their perspective from behind a screen and others were not. Personally, I struggled with this assignment because I was unable to read the room when I shared my thoughts and it was intimidating to put critical thinking messages out there without an immediate response of support. As a leader, I learned that in online atmospheres, you need to adjust your mannerisms to be more opening and connect better with your peers.
In the full year forum course, we did many substantial group projects. However the first project that opened up the course was a relatively large(15-20 page) group research paper. This was without a doubt one of my core RC memories and I still reference it to this day. The topic for this paper was "Who Owns the Internet?" and we were expected to provide substantial research to support our case. This was not only the first academic paper I had ever written of that length, but it was my first group paper. In terms of multi-literacy, this was one of the first times that I became familiar with information literacy, learning how to gather and present data. I learned the basics of APA as this was my first paper written in that style. I was thrown in the deep end with my literacy skills for this paper, especially because I was not a strong writer in high school. In terms of social interaction, we were responsible for co-creating a vision wile working with a new group of people. We decided to take a risk for this paper and argue that the Kardashians own the internet. We exercised our creative freedom and provided some solid research on this case and ultimately it paid off. However, it was definitely a bit intimidating to see other groups presenting these professional/bussiness-like papers while we were arguing that reality TV stars owned the internet. We used information literacy to back up a creative argument which is the basis of how we have had to use multi-literacy throughout this degree. It has not just been about practicing one thing at a time, but navigating different concepts and connecting them together to be relevant to each course topic. While writing this paper, it was a stressful time where we trying to make connections but also produce good work. I learned a lot about myself in this process because I was quite insecure with how my peers felt about my work and also me as a person. I had a few mental breakdowns about not thinking they will be my friends, but in the end I learned to value my hard work and dedication and make friends with people who reciprocate my energy. Finally, this was project was a wellbeing learning moment. I had to learn how to take critiques from my peers and my professors without getting emotional. This was long before I understood my mental health needs and was not very confident in my leadership or conflict management skills yet. I remember every waking minute of this project and I cannot imagine where I would be without this experience. It was emotionally draining, and academically difficult but getting through this assignment was what has motivated me to write every paper and complete every project since then.
Citizenship and Community
The citizenship and community course was one of the first courses that made me feel like I knew what I was talking about when I was using my voice. We learned about political issues and activism in a political sense which was a new concept for me because I never watched the news. When I first started Renaissance College, it was no secret that I was the least politically aware in the room. I always tried to stay out of big issues, even the ones I cared about. In this class, I realized that I stay in my comfort zone anymore. Because I was more aware of privilege from the forum class, this was the push I needed to step into my activism shoes and help those who needed it. I learned here what it means to be an effective citizen and why it is my responsibility to fill that role. We explored power and inequality in this course along with key concepts surrounding social systems. I gained insight to my power as a middle-class white individual in Canada and how these background characteristics can be used to gain power for others. If nobody helps those without a voice, they will continue to be disadvantaged. This realization changed the course of my degree as I began using my voice and having the conversations that my peers were too afraid to have. I used this knowledge throughout my degree as I began to develop a higher understanding of what it means to help people. I called myself a servant leader but in all honesty, I was only helping the group that helped me rather than helping others in hopes of achieving social change. I used this course as a benchmark for what it means to be an effective citizen and how social leaders will bring about change.
Worldviews Cultures and Religions
The root of this course was determining our values as leaders and as general members of society. We analyzed many different worldviews and compared them to our own. In these comparisons, we found similarities and differences that demonstrated how we could expand worldviews to make strong and genuine connections with others. In this course, we felt it was crucial to question why we think the way we do and learn to channel our values before taking action. Without an understanding of why you believe what you believe, you will not be acting based on rooted beliefs and only on impulse. Good leaders need to understand the perspective of themselves and others involved before they act. Without recognizing others worldviews, we could assume that people share our personal values and beliefs. Whether it is exploring the aforementioned frameworks or the worldviews that we learned about in the course, knowing what you believe and why is crucial for making decisions and acting as a leader. The leadership outcome that we focused on this semester is not just called “Knowing Self” it is “Knowing Self AND Others”. This means that understanding our individual worldviews is important but it is equally important to understand other people’s worldviews. Without understanding the factors that may affect other people’s worldview, we cannot assist others in the way they need it.
This course allowed me to reframe my thinking when interacting with others to understand the factors that influence their worldview. Life is all about perspective and I feel that worldviews do an excellent job in helping me to understand and embrace that. This class helped me to see that my values shape me but they are still allowed to change with my beliefs. My worldview will always make up a big factor in my life but that does not mean it must always remain constant. I look forward to seeing how my worldview may develop in the future and how the understanding of other people’s worldviews will help me develop into a stronger leader.
This course allowed me to reframe my thinking when interacting with others to understand the factors that influence their worldview. Life is all about perspective and I feel that worldviews do an excellent job in helping me to understand and embrace that. This class helped me to see that my values shape me but they are still allowed to change with my beliefs. My worldview will always make up a big factor in my life but that does not mean it must always remain constant. I look forward to seeing how my worldview may develop in the future and how the understanding of other people’s worldviews will help me develop into a stronger leader.
Quantitative Approaches to Problem Solving
As a math kid in high school, I was very excited to take Quantitative Approaches to Problem Solving (QAPS) because it was supposed to be something in my element. RC was expanding all of our brains to think critically and write reflections but I was eager to get back to my comfort zone and do some math. As we got into the course, I realized that this was not the math I was used to. While there was some experimenting with formulas and punch-and-crunch equations, we were mostly looking at real world numbers such as statistics. I learned some new numeracy skills through this course but a big learning moment was recognizing that there is no longer one right way to solve a problem. Further, there was no one right answer either. We did some small group work in this course where we would break off and solve problems and then share our answers. There was not a single time where we reunited in the main room and all had the same answer. This was fascinating to me because I always grew up doing math to get the right answer when in this course we looked at justifying other answers as well. I had to reconstruct the way I thought, analyzed and interpreted information in this course because there was a chance that my brain can be taking me on a completely different path than someone else's and that path may not be right anymore. I learned how to approach problems with an open mind to the wide roads they may take me down. This was a huge step in the right direction for my problem solving skills as I started seeing the problem as what was in front of me rather than trying to jump right to solutions. I remembered to follow certain steps before taking action and expect the unexpected. Overall, this course was an eye-opener for me to realize that a.) I am not always right and b.) there are different ways to solve problems that may all be equally as successful.