Klemm Mentor Reflection

In my time at Union thus far I have been able to use my unique academic background to enable me to grow and prosper. I originally started out at a middle/high school that was very atypical in that the school did not provide students with grades, nor use exams as a way of evaluating a student’s abilities. The school also did not participate in any form of a standardized test such as the New York State Regents. Instead, I was heavily evaluated by teachers where they would highlight my strengths, identify areas of improvement, and suggest how I was doing in the course. This school was called the Lehman Alternative Community School and emphasized heavy student involvement in the decisions the school made and had strengths at instilling critical …show more content…
These leadership roles have helped me acquire a particular strength which is resilience. At Union, there are so many opportunities yet all the opportunities are very competitive. I had applied to be a Klemm Fellow as a freshman and unfortunately was not chosen. One thing that I do not take well is losing. Therefore, when I received my waitlist for the Klemm Fellowship I struggled to understand why but with the encouragement and assistance of a former member of Order of Omega, I applied again last year for the Klemm Fellowship and was one of 6 selected for this highly-competitive term abroad. This is why I have chosen to apply to be a member of Order of Omega because from my Klemm denial experience I learned so much about how to be resilient and that a denial does not necessary mean that I was not good enough just simply that I was not the best candidate or I didn’t necessarily say what the selection committee was looking for. It took a leader, the former president of a fraternity on campus, an Order of Omega member to help me gain this fantastic strength and add it to my tool box. I used strength to be persistent and overcome the opposition that I faced as I attempted to be the first male volunteer ever at Bellevue Women’s Center in Schenectady, NY. Bellevue is a maternity hospital that I also committed to holistic women’s health. Having experience at Bellevue would both further my vocational goals by giving me more exposure to child birth, maternity, and gynecology and well as providing me with a potential network of professionals that can aid me in my vocational goals. However, as a male I was denied numerous time as a volunteer at Bellevue even after I sought numerous avenues to gain entry. Yet, I was persistent