Don't judge me, you big J.

Labels are stupid. People leap to judgment without actually getting to know people, because they think they know them. If you want to learn about me, come hang out; don't pretend to have me figured out because you know facts about my life.

But of course I would say that; I'm an ENFP.

"ENFPs are warm, enthusiastic people, typically very bright and full of potential. They live in the world of possibilities, and can become very passionate and excited about things."

ENFPs are the free spirits, the dreamers, and the artists. The internet tells me that we're those artsy kids, who care more about saving the world with a paintbrush than actually finishing a painting. But you guys, I'm a science major. I may have some artistic tendencies, but that creativity lets me visualize organic compounds, remember different phenotypes and genotypes, and predict chemical reactions. We are not all the same.

MBTI and other personality tests can be really useful tools in understanding ourselves. For example, knowing that I'm an E helps me understand that the funk I'm in is because I've been alone all day, not that I've been avoiding people because I'm in a funk, so I know how to fix the problem and move on. And now that I know that I'm a P, and that it's a real thing and there are bajillions of people out there like me, I don't feel bad about my alternative means of studying and getting things done. This test helps us get in touch with ourselves, and knowing who we are and how we function is a crucial part of a happy (and still productive) life.

"When we put people in boxes where they can only be one or another, we miss the opportunity to see people as diverse as they are"

That being said, on another day, I could have been an ESFP. Maybe tomorrow I could be an INFP. The highest correlation I got was a "moderate" P, and one question answered differently could have switched my N to an S. It's great to be able to understand myself, but I know that I need to take it all with a grain of salt. My personality type doesn't define me. Sometimes I might act completely opposite of an ENFP, and that's fine because I am a whole person made up of more than just four little letters. I would hope that no one would think that they know who I am just because they've heard of my four letters because I don't even know who I am. I am constantly surprising myself, changing, and re-discovering who I am.

Let's make a deal: I'll tell you I'm an ENFP, you tell me what you are, and then let's just forget about it and go get lactose-free frozen yogurt. Cool?

Leadership models

     My role model for leadership and other aspects of my life, JoLeah, was the leader of my volunteer program this summer. She is a brilliant leader for a few reasons, but the most important reason is definitely that she legitimately cares about every volunteer she works with. The organization is set up to run on one-week volunteers, and yet JoLeah still takes the time to get to know them, even though she will probably never see them again. In my experience, her reaching out to me on my first trip connected me to the work we were doing, making me feel like we were working for something together, instead of me showing up for a week and helping her with what she was already doing. In fact, I felt so connected to the work that I wanted to return over the summer. When I did, I was more and more excited to go to campamento every day, and I know that a lot of that enthusiasm came from JoLeah making me feel like a real part of the team.
     While all of the post-industrial leadership models appealed to me, the Relational model particularly resonated with me because of my experience this summer. I never really appreciated the importance of relationships within a group until JoLeah demonstrated how effective a united team can be. Even though I was just one link in the chain of volunteers that go through the organization, I felt like I mattered. I felt connected to the work, and that drove me to give it my all. The model sounds nice in concept, but having a solid experience to relate it to proves to me that the idea is more than just nice, and is in fact a really great way to lead.

Part 2: These pictures are really just screencaps from this video. (Incidentally, JoLeah showed us this video in our weekly leadership meetings, and I highly recommend you check it out.)

The video comes from Sasquatch music festival. One guy was dancing like his life depended on it while everyone else was just sitting around watching him. 

Eventually, someone joined him. The two of them danced for a little while, while everyone else continued to look on from afar. 

Finally it snowballed into a movement. One guy messing around turned into an entire group of people having a great time. It's an interesting look at leadership, as it follows a whole revolution in under three minutes.

     I think this video represents the social change model because at first, all the bystanders have to compromise their own inhibitions and get over the idea that joining will be embarrassing. Once that happens, it stops being about the one leader and starts being about the group as a whole.


P.S. Outreach360 is a fantastic organization, and I cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone looking for an international volunteer or travel experience. They work to supplement the education systems in the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua to give children a life of choice. They're excellent with college students, speaking spanish isn't required (though it made my experience richer), and you can go for however many weeks you choose, whenever you want. And maybe you'll get the chance to learn about leadership under JoLeah.

Introduction

Hi, I'm Kristen. I'm from Portland, Oregon, and I'm a little bit too proud of it. Seriously, I will probably tell you I'm from Portland twice in every conversation because it's important to my identity. I'm undeclared in arts and sciences, but I'll probably end up studying Spanish and some kind of science. My secret dream in life is to join the circus, but realistically, I'll probably either go into healthcare, graphic design, or education. I really haven't decided... I played soccer and lacrosse in high school, and I love skiing, snowboarding, and biking - pretty much anything that gets me outside - and I'm starting to get back into climbing. My favorite pastime is eating white foods. I watch too much tv, and I'm okay with that. I also like to read a lot, but don't end up doing it very often. I came from a really small school (75 kids in my class), where I spent 13 years, so my favorite part of Santa Clara so far is meeting so many new people. Another important part of myself is that I spent last spring break and summer in the Dominican Republic teaching English, Spanish literacy, and various other things to local kids. It was probably the best thing I've ever done, and I'm in a constant state of wanting to get back and check in on all my kiddos.
P.S. I really just want to be Tina Fey, you guys.