Benefits of being a Connect2Complete Advocate!

Original blog posted September 15, 2014. View here

The below blog was writing by Miami University Hamilton's Connect2Complete Advocate, Emily Cole. This is her second semester as an Advocate at MUH. 

I'm Emily and I am a Family Studies major. I'm currently a Junior. I became involved in campus activities last semester. It all started with my job as a Connect2Complete (C2C) Advocate. Through this program, I was able to help students solve problems they had with finding resources on campus. Another aspect of the program that helped me get involved on campus was the Civic Engagement project.  As a part of the C2C program, each class in the program ties together class material with a civic engagement "field trip" project. Through the C2C program, I was able to meet many people on campus which lead to my involvement on campus such as the Center for Civic Engagement Director, student affairs executives, and many other important faculty/staff members that were able to help me with networking inside and outside of the university.

On the first day of classes this semester, I was excited to meet the students I would be paired with for the next 14 weeks. When I walked in the room, I found 25 quiet students quickly observing me. The silence was disturbing and I quickly became nervous. I decided to break the awkward barrier by initiating an ice breaker. Soon the class was passing a soccer ball, with dozens of questions written on it, around the room. Each person answered the question that lied beneath the spot their thumb landed when they caught the ball. It took a while to complete but it helped break the first day jitters. I was glad there were so many students in this class because I only had 6 that lasted in the class I worked with the previous semester. I did not like having a small class because oftentimes, at least one student would be absent, making it hard to keep everyone on the same page, and connect with all of the students individually. I look forward to being able to help the students more this semester since they have all been attending class regularly, and are all willing to participate in the class discussions/activities I propose.

As an advocate, I have learned how to access many resources on campus. I have had many opportunities to attend informative luncheons, lectures, and trainings that I would not have necessarily had access to otherwise. I have met many students that I am now friends with, especially the other advocates. I have come to know certain faculty members that have helped me by writing reference letters and recommending me for other jobs. I plan to work in student affairs someday and I have learned many skills that have given me experience and confirmed my desire to pursue a career as an adviser/counselor at a university. Most of all, I have become comfortable as a student on campus. I love coming to school and staying for hours, even if I don't have class. I know many more people than I did before I was an advocate and I am a familiar face for others. 

If you are a people person and desire to help other students succeed, being an advocate in the Connect to Complete program is a dream come true!