Habla Roosevelt: End of Semester Two

Learning Outcomes: Initiative/Planning, Collaboration, Challenges and Skills

The 2016-2017 school year has ended, and my duty as president of Habla Roosevelt has come to an end for now. This semester has been quite tough, not only academically, but also regarding Habla Roosevelt. Never before have I felt my duties as president to be as significant and important as they have been this year.

Let us begin at the start of the semester. During our initial cabinet meetings, Corey, Bonnici, and I, had discussed and discovered a need for a vice president, since I would begin my senior year soon, thus making it impossible to manage Habla Roosevelt on my own. We opened the vice-president position to current Habla volunteers, and set up interviews. We asked the candidates a couple of questions, some ranging from "what makes you a great leader?", to "what makes you think you're right for the job?", and even "what makes you a good person?" We were looking for a well rounded student, filled with leaderships skills, perseverance, a willingness to learn, and an overall gracious attitude. We had a few hit and misses. Corey, Habla's teacher sponsor, wanted to make sure I would get along with the future vice-president, but at the same time, prioritize Habla's needs without being too picky. This planning process lasted a couple or weeks, until we finally found Vanessa. Vanessa is such a great addition to Habla's cabinet, and for now, we have been able to work very well together! We compliment each other very well, and I do believe this year has been extremely successful. Having a vice-president lend a helping hand , and collaborating on Habla duties together was quiet hard to get used to, since my assignments were being split in half, leaving me with more freedom for my academic responsibilities. It was an adjustment, since I was so used to taking care of all the club obligations on my own, but a great relief as well. Overall, it has worked extremely well, and I'm proud of the process we have managed to achieve this semester.

Moving on, I was faced with plenty of challenges while managing Habla. As president, I am responsible for supervising a group of twenty high school volunteers. In Habla Roosevelt, for our mission to be successful, a large amount of commitment is needed, from both students and volunteers. We highlight the importance of commitment at the beginning of every year; the students learn better when the volunteers stay committed. Not only is it highly important to me, it is also extremely important to the students, and shows a great deal of mutual respect. When volunteers breach their commitment to the club, it disappoints me, because at the end of the day, I want what is best for the students. This breach of commitment has an ongoing problem this semester, as many volunteers failed to show up on time, or even at all, without any former notice. Due to their actions, as the club president, I was obligated to call out their misbehavior, which was a great challenge for me. I like to believe I am a pacifist; I absolutely hate any type of conflict, and being the "bad cop" of any situation is extremely hard for me. A factor that further enhanced the problem was the fact that many of these volunteers were my friends! I did not want to discipline any of my friends, in fear that they'd view me in a negative light: this was my greatest challenge. In one occurrence, I had to let a volunteer know that they were no longer allowed to be part of the club. I had a horrible time, but thankfully, with the help Corey and Joe, I was able to learn how to deal with similar situations.

I tried to view this as a learning experience, and with the help of Corey, I was able to gain respect from the volunteers. As a result, I learned to place my feelings aside when it comes to professional matters. I tend to get too attached and emotional, which hinders my decision making, which may then affect the overall club. Sometimes it is important to remind yourself why you're here, and what your job intends you to do, which is the mentality I'll be taking with me into senior year, as we begin Habla again in August. Even though we had a few issues, Habla Roosevelt gained another successful semester! I am so excited to get back to work in August, but extremely thankful for the much needed break.

See you in a few Habla!

#HablaRoosevelt #Service