I’m Inspired By My Peers

By Luis H. Garay
@LuisHGaray

When I first started my master’s program I did not really know what I would expect from my cohort experience. I had a few friends who attended master’s programs at different institutions who had cohorts. They spoke of pretty much the same thing: deep friendships, cohort bonding, and going through the graduate school experience together. A year later I have gotten to know my cohort relatively well. Frequently I find myself being taught something new or gain a new insight by them. This week’s blog post is inspired by one group of people (out of many) that inspire me to be a better student affairs graduate student and student affairs professional.  These people that influence me are my fellow cohort mates.

Whether through interactions in class, discussions outside of the classroom, or sitting on same committees together, I am constantly learning from my cohort. As I write this post, I am thinking of one person specifically. In some ways, this post is also a thank you to this individual. (A part of me hopes that they read it!)

Through this individual I see unwavering strength, continuous commitment to educate, and an unbreakable spirit. Because of them I find myself improving my own leadership and group facilitation skills. One of the best things I have seen of them is their compassion and the care in which he or she speaks with students. They not only extend a helping hand to students who come to them but also will check-in with students, even if just by asking, “How are you?”

All of this has had me thinking on my own interactions with the students I interact with both through my graduate assistantship role but also outside of my role as well. I have definitely grown in confidence in my leadership and chairing a committee. I became more attune to the importance in checking with students, being open, and asking how they are doing.

The great thing in all of this is I consider this individual someone I can confide in and turn to whenever I have questions or find myself confused. These questions and confusing feeling have been plenty (especially in the first year of my graduate program) but they have always been there to listen to me attempting to make sense of things.

The great thing about people that inspire others is they can be there for you when you need turn to them. If you are in need of some inspiration or a recharge of energy, I encourage you to seek out the person or people you thought of as you read my post.

Who inspires you? What have you learned from them? Tweet me your thoughts at @LuisHGaray. I’d love to hear them!


Happy Monday
!

Student Affairs - the First Years

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