Final Reflection for 2011-2012

This has been an incredible year serving with BYUSA. I can’t believe time went by so fast, I’m not even ready to say good bye yet. I remember the day I ran into Phil in the library and the suggestion of applying for an executive director position came up. Next thing I knew, I was being interviewed for the biggest commitment I have ever made during my college career. I still remember the day I met my peers and feeling overwhelmed by how genuinely nice everyone was. I was in such a lonely stage during spring 2011; it was more than I could ask for to meet all of these nice and amazing friends when summer started. Now here we are, nearly 11 months later. I can’t begin to describe how many valuable lessons I’ve learned this year, as a leader and as a person. I want to break down some of the lessons I’ve learned by the people I’ve gotten to work with closely this year—

Phil Schwartz:

This funny guy has been my big brother since day one of our friendship. He has been there for me through the great times and the hard times. He is always willing to listen and be the support with a big hug. He has taught me how to work professionally alongside your friends. Sometimes it’s been hard to separate work and play, but Phil has done a good job helping me define the two lines. When I was struggling with my own program directors, he sat down and helped me come up with resolutions to maintain my friendship with my roommates but still get the necessary work done. I am extremely grateful for the love he has shown me and I value his presence in my life.

Eric Cecil:

Our most memorable moment by far is still the day we met for the first time in the office. Not only did Eric meet me, but just from that day, he became one of the most helpful and important person in my life. Eric has taught me how to balance and separate professional time and play time. I have witnessed the “bipolarity” of Eric Cecil as he steps into the office; it is all work and getting things done. But as soon as office hours are over, he is as energetic and playful as a five year-old boy. He has been an example to me and taught me the value of time management. Whenever I know that I have a lot of work ahead of me, I think of how Eric would handle it, and I just zip right through. I have enjoyed all the times I have spent with this goofy guy and I can’t wait to make more memories.

Jessica Godfrey:

I have really seen how much Jessica has grown this year and she has definitely taught me a huge lesson during this progression. I admit that I had my doubts about her during the elections period but she has done an incredible job changing my mind and faith in her abilities. I’ve seen her take criticisms on her weaknesses and turn them into strength. That is a lesson I definitely value learning from her. I also learned from her the honest and genuine consideration she has for others and she has softened my heart to others around me. She taught me how to care for others more like Christ. I love this beautiful girl and I can’t wait to see her shine next year!

Rachel Smith:

Rachel has been a great example from the beginning. From her enthusiasm and genuine interest in getting to know people, she really taught me to open up and be a LEADER! Rachel’s professionalism has been through the roof and I really looked up to her for that. Before this year, I have never had much experience in the professional setting so it was a new concept to me. Whether with dress or behavior, it was something I had to adapt to. Watching Rachel’s actions and presence really helped me develop that trait. I am grateful for the lessons she taught for because of her example, I feel more grown up and ready to get out there in the professional world. I am so happy for her marriage and I can’t wait to see what the future brings for her.

Brandon Beck:

Although Brandon came into our area later this year, I still had a great time working with him. I’ve known him since American Government class last year but working next to him every day was how I really got to know him. I admire his ease of assimilating into the atmosphere and work ethic of our area and how easily he gets along with everyone. I learned the lesson of “going with the flow” from him. It is possible for me to be too uptight sometimes, Brandon has taught me that sometimes I just need to “relax” (he says that word a lot). I am so glad that he is continuing his service with BYUSA next year and I am confident that he is going to rock the communications area.

Though I have faced so many challenges this year serving with BYUSA, all of them have been blessings upon blessings. Learning the simple things like how to write a resume to how to be a divine centered leader have all been extremely beneficial to my life. These are the memories I am forever going to hold on to. I cherished every time I have spent in and out of the office this year. There’s no way I am letting go that easy, it’s not the last time I’ll be stepping into the office, and most definitely not the last time I’ll be serving the students of BYU and the Lord. I can’t wait for what the future holds! 

Leadership in the Home

1.  Please describe how you feel you can apply the leadership lessons discussed during this session as a leader in you family.


I feel that if we always keep love in mind when we lead, we would be successful as leaders. Especially with leadership in the home, the biggest component of success is love. Don't be afraid to settle differences but don't neglect to do so with love and effective communication. 

2.  Recognizing that you will meet and likely marry someone who will come from a somewhat different backgroung and family than your own, please identify what you will do as a leader in your home to insure that you have a unified and succesful family.


Always be understanding and respectful, agree to disagree, celebrate diversity and differences, and love each other no matter the trials. Be willing to be the one to step up against conflict. Don't be scared to be the first to apologize. Take the first step. Out of all the above things, the main ingredient is to take initiative. 

Leading in Your Community/Government

1.  Sen. Garn spoke about the importance of serving and giving back to the nation.  Please share some reasons you feel gratitude for the opportunities you have experienced.

I always feel gratitude for the opportunities I have been given this year. It came just in the right time and I have been blessed ever since. The friends I have made have been so great to me. The lessons I have learned have been life changing. The memories I have made will forever stay with me. I can't think of anything I can do to show enough gratitude equivalent to the blessings I have been given. 

2.  Sen. Garn described his perception of humanity and the senslessness of conflict, that he gained as he orbitted the planet int he space shuttle.  Please describe how remembering this perception will help you serve as a leader in your community.

Remembering that there are different people with different perspectives in this world will help me adjust to different environments. It will help me understand tolerance and understanding. It will open my mind and I will be able to become a leader that can lead a wide variety of people. 

3.  As a young man, Sen. Garn witnessed many great technological advancements.  His attitude of courage and determination helped him achieve success in his life.  How will you approach change in your life and how will you persist in being involved as a leader in your community and government.


No one likes change, but it is inevitable. I personally believe that change is usually good, whether it's good change or bad change, it will help us get better at something. I will see change as an opportunity and not let it affect the goals I have for myself. I will persist in being involved even when facing hardships, it will only give me more help. 

Leading With Love

1.  Describe three different ways that you have made your love for students you lead visible through work you have done.


I would hope that I do make my love visible to those I lead. I think I try to show my love by checking in with them and their work and making sure that they aren't alone in their tasks and that they always have me to help. I also try to bond my team together and gather them for team activities and outings so that we create that bonding network. Lastly, I try to show my love by encouraging them to reach their potential . I try my best to help them see the good work they have done and how they can continue to do so. 

2.  Dean Heperi talked about the importance of truly loving those you work with enough to help them improve.  Please describe a time when you have had to help someone by having a difficult conversation about their need for improvement.  Please identify what things you said that helped you in this experience.


It's crazy how much this applied to me this year. I work with a lot of close friends as my program directors and it was hard to work with them at first because our friendship stood in the way of professionalism. It was frustrating but I sat down with two of my program directors and just explained my point of view and heard their points and came to solutions that were just the right balance. I made sure that I wasn't putting blame on anyone and that I used effective communications skills. I took the time to listen and looked at things from their perspective. It was helpful for both sides. 

Leadership Lessons For Today

1. Sue described several myths about careers.  One myth she spoke of was the one that identified the major you choose now will lock you into your career.  Describe at least two different career paths you have had interest in throughout your college career.  What classes have you taken that have exposed you to possible career paths. 

I truly do not believe that one choice in a major will lock you in forever, and I am in the middle of busting that myth right now. I came to BYU already admitted to the School of Music and I have been diligently taking classes since my first semester. It was definitely eye opening to see the different career paths I can go on with this major. But I also took a Psych 111 class and although due to illness circumstances, didn't do well, I LOVED the class. It was amazing to learn all of these concepts that were so intriguing, it was definitely a career path that I have considered. Now I have signed up for prerequisite School of Communications classes so that I may explore the options of that career path. 

2. "When I find my calling, work will be bliss." Please describe how this statement is a busted myth.

I think this is a busted myth because even if the work I am in is something I am good at and I like, doesn't mean there won't be hardships and challenges. There will be times of success as well as failure. Sometimes the failure may be so challenging it might instigate for desperate desires of quitting. But failure doesn't mean quitting. It's the experience that will build happiness. 

3. "Focus your work on blessing and serving others rather than getting rich or being noticed, and you’ll find great success and become extraordinary at whatever you do."  Please describe how your service in BYUSA has helped you in adopting this type of focus as a leader.

I really learned this valuable lesson this year as a BYUSA officer. At first, it was so cool to know I have my picture up on the wall and people would recognize me. But the more and more I got involved and busy with my responsibilities, I stopped caring about the outward things and focused on the outcome of my services. I was happy just to know people benefit from my work instead of people knowing that I did it. 

President Samuelson: Leadership in the Church

1. President Samuelson warned of the dangers of waiting to serve until you are less busy.  Describe how you will make yourself available to serve, even in the midst of a ever increasing schedule and responsibilities.

I think I have done a pretty good job of balancing my hectic schedule with serving. It can sometimes be really hard, but I make sure that I am aware of the blessings that come into my life and schedule when I put aside time to serve. It makes my day better so that I am able to proceed with my day with a better attitude. So in order to make sure that there is time to serve, we need to adjust our attitude and put serving as a priority so that we don't procrastinate. 

2. In sharing his experience in speaking at a funeral, President Samuelson encouraged those in attendance to have the courage to say what needs to be said, when it needs to be said.  Describe a time when you have had to stand alone in your role as a leader.  Please include how you will respond to future opportunities to stand alone as a leader. 

A memorable moment of me having to stand alone for something right was when I was on a bus tour in San Diego and we passed the San Diego temple. The tour guide introduced the temple but described the statue on the top as Joseph Smith smoking a pipe. Even though, it seemed ridiculous and trivial, it was false information and saying our prophet smokes pipes would lead to the wrong impression for people who don't understand the church. I decided to go up to the tour guide and correct him, he didn't give much thought into my correction and shrugged it off. But it was a cause important to me, I needed to say it at that moment so he knows it was wrong instead of waiting for him to say the wrong information again. I will continue to stand alone as a leader if it means standing up and supporting what I believe in is right. 

3. President Samuelson shared an important lesson he learned about making assignments in his role as an Elders Quorum President.  Please identify what you believe made the difference in the outcome he described going from having to complete the assignment himself to having others take accountability.  How will you apply this concept to leadership roles you have in the future.

I am very much the kind of leader that likes to get things done myself. I don't like to share tasks in fear of people doing things that don't go along with my plans. I think President Samuelson's experience helps him get others involved so that others may learn along with him. Not only that, but it is also a way for all of the elders to bond and work together. I had a hard time at the beginning of this year when I started working with program directors because I was the same way. I wanted to take everything on myself. But with time constraints, I was forced to delegate and it turned out to be a much better experience for not only me but my program directors too. They were better informed of their own roles and learn a lot more about responsibility and accountability.

Effects of Student Leadership

1.Dr. Wilson spoke about the effect working in Student Leadership at BYU had on helping him become a "grown up."  Please describe the ways that your involvement has helped you develop as a leader from when you started serving until now.

I have seen myself grow a lot as a person and a leader since I started getting involved. I developed a sense of professionalism that I have never really experienced before. I learned to center my focus when needed and let loose and have fun when the chance came. I learned that being a leader does not mean having status and authority but the resources to serve with greater purpose. 

2. Dr. Wilson shared his experience serving an internship in Jerusalem.  This experience was not part of his program, but was approved because he was willing to do additional work to make it possible.  Please describe the ways you can be effective in advocating for change or making improvement in existing programs.


To me, the biggest mistake to make when trying to advocate for change is giving up!!! Never give up because if a cause is so great that a call for change is necessary, then it is worth fighting for. Even if it's not so revolutionary like I described but even making improvements in existing programs, it is essential that we look at all possible problems and successes and make sure nothing is left out. 

13 Tips to Career Success

Bro. Cox shared 13 tips on leadership in your career.  Please choose two of those tips and describe how you might apply those in your current role, then how you might apply them in your future roles. 


-Prepare before opportunity knocks


This tip really struck home for me because I have never thought of it that way. I didn't think it was possible to prepare because it was impossible to predict what kind of opportunity would come knocking. But it is wise to prepare before anything comes up. Become that well rounded person ready to take on anything, and whatever challenges and opportunities arise, I will just be one more step ahead of the game. 


-If you don't love it, leave it


I understand that this does not imply "quit after you fail" but I know that I have definitely been stuck in a place where I felt miserable with what I'm doing. I would rather be passionate and enthusiastic about the work I'm doing than hate it and do it as a chore. Not only does that make me unhappy, it also negatively affects those around me because it may cause my work to be sloppy, my attitude would be unenjoyable, etc. 

Judge Griffith: Leadership

1. Judge Griffith spoke about the importance of remembering the "least" among us.  Describe how you can apply this concept in your leadership role today in BYUSA.  Also, describe how you intend to apply this focus on the "least" in the future as you serve in leadership roles.

I understood the "least" as that we need to keep in mind those who may be standing in the background. I  think that the BYUSA vision really teaches us to remember the "least" among us because there should be "no intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, or physically poor among us." I can apply this concept to my leadership role by making sure that while I may be progressing as a leader, I am also aware and helping others grow with me. 

2. Judge Griffith talked about how we learn what God wants us to learn from listening to those who speak to us through talks, lessons and home teaching. Please describe how it is possible to learn from those who might night have the same level of education.  Identify and describe a time in your life when you have learned from an individual with a differing educational background. 

I think everyone goes through different experiences that allow them to obtain knowledge that is valuable. I can't think of a specific example of a learning experience like that but I know that my parents are a huge example to me. My mom went to college and my dad had a different college experience where it wasn't just school but also the military. Their education background was different from each other and from many people they encounter now for their schooling was all in Taiwan. But that does not stop them from learning and teaching each other as well as interacting with those they work with. 

3.Please describe something you learned about leadership from Judge Griffith's presentation.

I learned that learning takes place everywhere with everyone. Learning experiences are everywhere and we need to open our minds up to the possibilities. We need to make sure that while we learn, we are also lifting others up with our knowledge obtained.