Elayna Dyke

I volunteered as a college mentor for the “Sumner/Neveln Science Fair Kickoff,” which was a series of local events that took place at Riverland Community College, Austin from fall 2014 to spring 2015. My chemistry teacher organized this program for two of the local elementary schools, which statistically, had the least submissions for the annual science fair compared to the other elementary schools in Austin. The students took field trips twice a month to Riverland, and they would go to the labs, and they would perform age-appropriate science experiments, as well as work with a college mentor. I developed leadership skills through reflecting who I was in this group of students and volunteers, as well as not only reflecting on my strengths and weaknesses, but critiquing my current approach to leadership.

 

When my professor told me about her idea to develop this program to serve the local elementary students, I was completely on board as a volunteer. She had a specific vision for her program, and the volunteers were supposed to assist rather than teach. I knew that my role was to be a role model and mentor for the students. I was ready to follow this great idea and collaborate with her. I had prior experience tutoring older students in ninth and tenth grade. Third and fourth grade students are much different in the ways that they respond and think. They have different goals and different opinions than older students. I saw myself as a patient leader who is compassionate, works for the good of others, and keeps an open mind while still reflecting upon past experiences.

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These students saw me as someone who knew all the answers. They were so amazed that I was in college, and that I knew the answers to all their questions. However, there was a point at which I had to evaluate my motives, because I did not want to mentor these students for my own glory and achievement. I wanted to help them see their intelligence and how capable they were, and how their strengths will only grow over time. It was not my job to teach and inform, but to support. I was too enthusiastic to be a mentor, and I wanted to take on a bigger role, but it was not my role. It was necessary to develop a leadership approach by carefully critiquing my current approach while still encompassing my strengths as a mentor.