My Story!

Jeeze oh man, as I sit here attempting to write “my story”, I have so many thoughts racing through my head. Where should I start? What should I include? Well, here is what I have come up with. The short and sweet version of my story goes something like this:

“Hannah, were you an oops baby?” A question I had actually never heard, until my dance instructor asked me one day circa 2005. Well I did not know how to respond to this so on the way home, I asked my dad. “You were a blessing” was his response. Ah ha! So that explains why my brothers are eight and ten years older than me and probably why I get spoiled exponentially more than they ever did. Growing up with two much older brothers had its advantages: they gave great advice, I learned from their examples, and they were very protective. However, I basically felt like I grew up as an only child. By the time I was in sixth grade, I was the only child left at home. It was nice in the sense that I grew very close to my parents, but I felt like I barely knew my brothers.

I spent a majority of my time at the dance studio growing up. I wanted to be in every number and on as many competition teams as possible. I realized I had found my home away from home. My dance family became my second family. I started competing at the age of 10 and after that first competition, I realized two things about myself: I had found my passion in life and I am an overly competitive person. I wanted to be perfect at this sport and I wanted to do anything to get me there. Hm… another fact about me reveals itself. I hate to admit it, but I am a perfectionist. I can’t stand completing a project that I do not feel is as great as it could be. Back to the story… I truthfully do not think I would be the person I am today without the girls I grew up dancing with. Especially my dance instructor, Jen. These were the people who saw me immediately after I got into a car accident, they saw me dislocate my knee cap my senior year, and they were the ones who stepped up when I told them my mom had been diagnosed with cancer. I know I have talked about my mom in just about every post, but this is my story, and she is a huge part of it.

After what felt like a billion years stuck in the same school district, I was finally graduating high school. I’ll admit it, I was terrified to graduate. I didn’t want to leave dance, cheerleading, track, and all my friends behind to move onto what I would soon realize to be the best years of my life. I decided to room with someone who went to my high school and it worked out well. We did not become the greatest of friends or hang out with the same people, but we were there for each other and that’s what mattered. Oh the wonderful world of Ohio State. I was loving everything about freshman year. New people, football games, being independent. Well, about a month into freshman year, I was walking to my ex-boyfriends house after a football game when I got a call from my dad. My heart dropped. Why is my dad calling me at this time on a game-day? As weird as it sounds, I immediately knew something was wrong. I answered the phone. My dad’s voice was grave. Sh*t. He told me to call him back when I could sit down. Sh*t. I cried the rest of the walk from the stadium to Chittenden Avenue. Thankfully at this point in time, my ex hadn’t yet turned into the complete clown that he would become and helped me through the hardest phone call I will ever receive. My mom’s cancer was back, and it was even stronger than the last time. I needed to come home immediately. So that’s what I did. From that point on, I went home just about every single weekend of my first quarter of college. I didn’t want to miss anything happening at home, but in turn, I missed everything about being a freshman in college. I didn’t make friends. I barely talked to anyone that lived on my floor. I didn’t go to parties, football games, join clubs, or basically do anything a college freshman should be doing. I had to grow up, and I had to do it fast. I learned more about myself in these weeks than I have ever learned before. I learned what it REALLY meant to have taken advantage of something. I learned the definitions of compassion and sacrifice. And lastly, I learned what it meant to be a fighter. Because that’s what my mom was.

On Thanksgiving evening, while half of my relatives were downstairs attempting to enjoy the food we had prepared for them, my mom passed away. Part of me went with her. I contemplated even returning to Ohio State. What was there for me? Like I said, I didn’t have friends, I had the motivation of a caterpillar, and how was I supposed to return to a normal life after this? My sister-in-law was the one who pushed me to go back. She told me how much my mom valued education as a kindergarten teacher for almost 30 years. I had to go back, for my mom.

When I got back from Christmas break, I decided I wanted to rush a sorority, and I wanted to be an Alpha Phi just like my mom. Long story short, my recruitment guide did not send my excuse form for missing a day to the chapters and every chapter thought I dropped recruitment. Therefore, I did not get an invitation back to any chapter that I wanted. The icing on the cake. I ended up completely dropping out of recruitment and was told I had to wait until the fall of the next school year to attempt to rush again. FINALLY, I was extended a bid to Alpha Phi and was initiated on 11/11/11. After everything that could have possibly gone wrong in my life actually went wrong, including letting my GPA drop to below a 2.7, something at last went right!

Now, here I am, a senior in college. I have held numerous leadership roles in Alpha Phi, I am on an amazing student organization called Dance Connection, I had an internship with the Ohio Union, I (hopefully) will be graduating with honors, and although I do not know what the future holds for me after I graduate, I’ve learned that I do not need to know. I trust that my friends in heaven will point me in the right direction and for now I’m just going with the flow.√ 

Leadership Style Feedback

For this assignment, I chose to ask two other members of my sorority’s executive board for their feedback on my leadership style. I decided to ask both our President as well as our VP of Chapter Operations because I wanted feedback from someone who I am pretty good friends with, as well as someone who I knew would be completely honest with me.

Both girls said that I am a team player and extremely supportive of others. They mentioned that I have a big heart, I am caring, approachable and trustworthy. Our President pointed out that I work hard to learn the facts and find the best avenues to be a leader. For instance, before I was the Director of New Member Education, I came up with plans and education tools to help our new members learn and grow. She also said that I am very passionate about every leadership position I have held within the chapter and that I do not focus on any other motives other than helping the organization. Finally, our VPCO commented that although I did receive some criticism from members of our chapter during my term, I handled each situation with poise and articulated my ideas in a way that made one command respect for the hard work and dedication I set forth in my role.

As constructive criticism, I have learned that I need to be more confident with my thoughts and not be afraid to implement something that might be hard but that I know is right. I need to stop doubting myself because I do have the right mind set and a huge passion for my chapter. I think sometimes I am afraid of stirring the pot and creating opposition due to my opinion, but as a respected voice in the chapter, I should stop being timid about certain situations and just voice what I think is in the best interest of the chapter. 

ONE GOAL

Something I have become very passionate about is Pelotonia. For those of you that do not know, Pelotonia is a grass-roots bike tour that raises funds and awareness about cancer research. This past summer was my second time participating in Pelotonia and I made an ambitious commitment to raise $975 dollars and ride 180 miles. It is a known fact that almost every single person knows someone or has been personally affected by cancer. In November 2010 my mom lost her battle to a rare form of cancer called multiple myeloma. Watching my mom face all of the challenges that come with fighting cancer pushed me to want to make a difference for all of those with similar experiences. It amazes me that cancer affects millions of people each year, yet there is still no cure. I always ask myself how that is possible. Is there not enough awareness about cancer research and possible cures? Is there a lack of funds?

I believe in everything that Pelotonia stands for. I believe in finding a cure to end cancer. I believe in coming together as a community of people to support survivors and those currently battling cancer. I want to recognize the achievements of current cancer patients and encourage them to keep fighting and never give up. I want our community to show those affected by cancer that they are not alone and that they are loved. I believe that Pelotonia accomplishes all of these things by not only bringing in funds for research, but by also creating that support network and a communal movement to end cancer.

While reading through the chapter about the social change model of leadership, four of the seven “C’s” stuck out to me in regards to Pelotonia. The first is consciousness of self. I am aware of the values, emotions, and attitudes that motivate me to be involved in this movement. I have the personal experiences to guide my beliefs on cancer and motivate me to take action. Next, commitment is an obvious component of Pelotonia. In order to participate, you must make a commitment to raise a certain amount of money based on another commitment of how far you will ride. These funds go directly to the James for cancer research. My commitment to ride 180 miles took a significant amount of self-motivation and passion. It was extremely difficult at times but remembering all of the reasons why I chose to ride that distance pushed me further. Common purpose is another essential component of Pelotonia. The book states that “a common purpose develops when people work with others within a shared set of aims and values”.  Boom, that is the definition of Pelotonia. A group of people coming together for ONE GOAL: to end cancer. The commitment of each participant of Pelotonia towards this common purpose is beyond anything else I have ever encountered. Finally, citizenship relates to Pelotonia, because just as the book explains, there is a commitment to change that connects all individuals involved. Each participant is directly connected to the community and is involved in the effort for social change.

I would highly encourage everyone to get involved in Pelotonia. The experience I have had over the past two years are ones that I will hold close to my heart for my lifetime. I have met the most amazing people who share many of the same experiences and hold the same values as me. The atmosphere is absolutely amazing and it feels so great to be apart of a movement that stands for something so much larger than myself. 

Ethical Dilemma in a Student Organization

In class my group was posed this scenario: A member of a student organization wants to run for president (and would be a really good candidate) but they have a poor GPA. They only have a poor GPA because they tried to remain an involved member while balancing a difficult, time-consuming major, as well as family problems. To be president, a previous executive board position is required, and because of this member’s poor GPA, they do not fulfill that requirement. The person running against them had an E-board position, but it was a relatively easy position and they did a poor job. These two candidates are the only members running for president.

After consideration, my group decided that we would use rule-based thinking and not allow the member to run for president. We feel this is fair because they do not meet the two requirements of having the minimum GPA and having previously held an E-board position. Additionally, we felt that the person running against them may actually be a very good president because perhaps the pervious executive board position they held did not allow them to showcase or develop their strengths as a leader. This decision also involves justice vs. mercy choices because you could decide to be fair and hold all members accountable for their academic performance like we chose to, or you could choose to be more empathetic and let the member run for president.  

Pitch Perfect

Main characters of the group: 

Aubrey: Acts as the initial leader of the group

-       Very controlling/dictatorial

-       Opinion giver: emphasizes her way or no way- lives in the tradition and appearance of her group 

-       Causes a lot of the conflict- reason for a lot of what happens in the storming stage

-       Lacks empathy towards the members of her group “

-       Relational leaderships requires communication skills that help each person seek to understand other, not just persuade them.” (page 170)

-       Becomes a follower at the end

-       Chloe:

-       Mediator: tries to keep playing field even, does not like conflict

-       What Aubrey lacks in empathy, Chloe makes up for it as a secondary leader

-       Lacks a true voice in the group

-       Beca:

-       Seen as a “blocker” by Aubrey: Aubrey sees Beca as a negative person who does not care about the group/ wants the group to fail

-       Opinion Giver: Shares her ideas with the Bellas about how to make their performance better

-       Encourager: Listens to the opinions of everyone in the group and encourages individuality

-       In the end, Beca’s sympathetic attitude towards the group and her want for the group to succeed makes her the new leader

-       Fat Amy, Cynthia Rose, Lilly:

-       Add diversity to the group

-       Act as followers: listen to Aubrey and is willing to support the group’s actions

-       3 Dimensions of a Group

-       - Purpose: To win nationals.

-       - Structure: In the beginning Aubrey is the one and only leader while Chloe is just her follower. She is almost dictator like, and is only an opinion giver instead of an opinion seeker. As the movie goes on this changes; the Bellas work together, and all use their unique personalities and talents for the betterment of the group.

-       - Time: The Bellas spend many hours a week to prepare for competitions. This goes on for the entirety of the school year/until Nationals.

-       Group Development

 Forming: Aubrey and Chloe conduct the Forming stage of the progress of the group when they focus in the beginning of the movie on recruiting pretty, “bikini-ready” girls as they audition singers for The Bellas. In the beginning of the film, Aubrey and Chloe pass out fliers for The Bellas at the student involvement fair. Chloe is receptive to basically everyone, while Aubrey is more selective, remarking on Fat Amy’s self-given nickname and speaking harshly to Beca when she criticizes The Bellas. During auditions, Chloe and Aubrey exhibit the common purpose of the group as they search for women who have what they are looking for: vocal skills and good looks. After selections, the group showcases empowerment through ritual in initiation by making it clear that the new members should be proud of having made the cut; the post-ritual party of all the acapella groups shows their desire to promote the group as a whole through inclusivity and welcoming the new members to their lifestyle.

-       Storming: Beca is the main protagonist during the Storming stage of “Pitch Perfect.” She attempts to be ethical by protesting some things Aubrey does that she feels are mean; for example, when Aubrey ejects a new member for having relations with a Treble by making the member leave The Bellas’ meeting and dragging her chair after her, Beca speaks up and says that wasn’t necessary. Aubrey feels challenged and confronts Beca after the meeting, but Beca does not concede. This introduces the Storming stage that lasts for a significant part of the film. Beca continues to challenge Aubrey’s authority by contesting The Bellas’ old-fashioned style, but Aubrey refuses to compromise. Later, during a performance, Beca sings a different harmony without warning, causing the group members to lose their concentration and Aubrey to confront her. Beca leaves The Bellas, and Chloe and Aubrey continue to conflict over song and performance choices.

-       Norming: Norming is performed when Beca returns to group later in the movie. Beca comes back because she realizes that her reasons for joining the group have changed (i.e., she actually enjoys being a contributing member), and Aubrey accepts her back into the group because she realizes the purpose of The Bellas is not only to be a group of “hot” singers, but to grow as a team and learn new skills, some of which include using new material. The group decides to try out one of Beca’s remixes in a scene which exemplifies the Norming stage, using their new skills in a mash-up number. Empowered by their new skills and purpose, The Bellas are able to form a more cohesive group by sharing more responsibility between all of the members.

-       Performing: This stage is shown at the final performance. The group is able to use their new skills that they collaboratively developed and showcase them in a remix mash-up of songs that empowers each member by allowing them to use their individual talents (beat-boxing, dancing, etc.). The Bellas are able to win the competition only because they are finally at the Performing stage, where each member is showing the core purpose of the group.

-       Adjourning: The Adjourning stage of “Pitch Perfect” recognizes the progress of the group through a scene of the following year’s acapella auditions. They are looking for a more diverse, inclusive style that identifies with a broader range of applicants.