Kayelyn Jett

 

 

Definition: A person who inspires others to be better versions of themselves, collaborates with and listens to their peers, and gives freely of their time and energy.

 

Criteria: Results-oriented, people-focused, positive, open-minded, and passionate.

 

Situation: My junior year at Texas A&M I had the privilege of serving as President of Residence Hall Staff Council (RHSC). The year prior to my election I worked with the council as the Staff Programming Chair and became incredibly passionate about the goals and mission of RHSC. I felt called to run as President to ensure the organization was well taken care of and could continue to grow into an even better organization. To do this I set goals for how I wanted the year to go; however, I had no idea the extent these goals would be challenged. Throughout the year, we had two officers become ineligible, legislative issues, and obstacles within each officer position which threatened the feasibility of reaching these aims.

 

Task: After the previous year as Staff Programming Chair, I knew overcoming these hurdles to secure the RA Meal Plan, motivate the council members, and improve the quality of all of the deliverables RHSC produced (i.e. RA Banquet, RA Newsletter, General Assemblies, RA Field Day, etc.) would be worthwhile.

 

Action:  To manage all of the ins and outs of RHSC, I stayed positive and organized to ensure the experience was enjoyable and structured for everyone involved. Also, I promoted communication through coordinating biweekly one on one meetings with four out of six members to collaborate on initiatives and ensure each member was learning from their position and adequately supported.

 

Result: Each year at RA Banquet, each member of RHSC has the opportunity to ‘pin’ two people who have positively impacted us over the year. When the year ended, I was proud of the progress made and the team that developed, but also understood several things could have been better. So when I heard three of the Executives wanted to recognize me as an influence in their life I was humbled and filled with excitement! In my mind, those three people’s intent to recognize me was the result of reaching my goal to motivate and inspire the executive members!

 

Takeaway: I learned so many lessons through my position as President and it allowed me an outlet to serve others in a way which really spoke to me. Through this experience, my leadership style formed, my passion for helping others grew, and my appreciation for the challenges in my life blossomed.