Reflection Post: Leadership & Events

1.    Blog: Reflection Post If you already have a Wix page also clearly indicate what changes you made and why.

My Wix changes as well as their intentions can be found in my recent post, “Curating Ellie”.

2. How confident do you feel in your professional or online presence at this time?

Overall, I feel confident in the work I have curated over the years. My e-portfolio has come a long way, and my online presence now feels like it’s in an authentic and professional place. I am especially proud of my photography section and the photos I’ve taken over the years, as well as the academic writing and course work I’ve completed throughout my degree. Everything feels cohesive, user-friendly, and reflective of who I am. The one area I feel like still needs improvement is my resume, particularly in the area of professional work experience. Though I have been fortunate to gain meaningful volunteer and academic experience, I also know that my professional experience needs the opportunity to grow. I am hopeful that this e-portfolio can help showcase my passion, creativity, and skills, and ultimately open doors that allow me to develop more of this professional area.

3. Reflection on Leadership: What is your best

experience with a leader? What characteristics

did you appreciate about their approach?

I think my best experience with a leader was with my youth pastor, Ben Ruppert. I attended youth group at a small church in my local town for roughly seven years, so most of my adolescence. Every Friday we met for a lesson from Pastor Ben, and every Wednesday we met to lead the younger children in children’s ministry. In both contexts, Pastor Ben led with exemplary. I appreciated his kindness, his humor, and his ability to gather us all together and lead us towards a clear message. He instilled hope and direction in every one of us and led by example as well as encouragement. When I look back on these years and on my experience with Pastor Ben, I will always look fondly when remembering his leadership.

4. Reflection on Events: Describe an event you

attended that was poorly managed. What about the event was

troubling? Did the event staff manage the

problems? What would you have done differently?

Last year, I attended a Peach Pit concert in Charlotte, North Carolina. The band itself was amazing and the music was very good, so I had no qualms about the performance. The venue, however, did an extremely poor job at managing parking and traffic after the event. My sister and I actually left one song early to beat the worst of the traffic, but we still ended up in a pretzel mess of cars. Everyone had been parked in a grassy field with no clear direction, so cars were going horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. As we were leaving it became confusing and dangerous; several people, including my sister and me, were nearly hit by other cars. No one knew how to get out of the venue and there were no staff members around to ask questions. If it were me, I would have posted staff and signs around the parking area to help people find a clear exit. This would have aided people in taking turns exiting and would have prevented the excess confusion, danger, and frustration of the situation.

5. What questions do you have at this stage of

the ePortfolio project?

At this time, I don’t have any questions, but I will be sure to reach out if any come up!