Fraternity and Sorority Life CO-OP Seminar 
August 2023-December 2023

Description

At the start of the '23-'24 academic year, I began working at UC's Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL). As a result, I was required to take COOP-INT, an online, one-credit hour course during fall semester of 2023. The purpose of this course is to maximize students' experiential learning opportunities through goal-setting, peer feedback, and assessing/articulating one's personal/professional growth and strengths. 

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Reflection

Initially, I was annoyed that I had to take this course. I was already enrolled in 16 credit hours, was involved in many organizations around campus, and viewed it as an unnecessary addition to my schedule. This mindset solidified even more due to my starting the semester in the ER, sick, and behind on all of my assignments. However, as I began to settle into my routine, I also realized that this class did have some valuable takeaways that I should leverage. I especially appreciated the goal-setting aspect. One of the first assignments tasked us with setting two SMART goals that we could accomplish by the end of the semester. One of mine was to form a good rapport with my fellow co-workers. Although I consider myself approachable and outgoing, I was the youngest and only student employee who was not involved in Greek life, so I was apprehensive on how I would acclimate to this new environment. This goal gave me the extra "push" I needed to take the initial step in getting to know my co-workers better and ultimately contributed to me having a great first semester at the FSL office. 

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Impact

Although this course was only for a semester, I will definitely feel its impact for the remainder of my undergraduate career. A big part of thriving in a job is the overall culture. This has definitely contributed to my growing love for working in the FSL office. My supervisors and co-workers alike are all such genuine people that make the office very welcoming. It is definitely a privilege to look forward to work and I don't think I would have this same experience without the Co-op seminar.