Week 3:

What went well? 

Communication with team members went very well. I got to chat with them about how each student interview went and they gave me very useful feedback for the toolkit. 

What could have been done differently?

I am currently struggling with deciding what format for the toolkit would be most useful for rural students, teachers, and counselors. I want to be sure that my toolkit doesn’t just end up placing a further burden on already-overworked rural teachers and counselors. 

What did I learn about myself while working with others?

I learned that I prefer to over-communicate rather than under-communicate. I sent lots of emails letting the team know where I am in my project and what my thoughts are. 

What did I learn about leadership?

I learned that it’s important to consider the systems influencing a particular phenomenon rather than just placing blame on individuals. For example, rural teachers and counselors aren’t writing shorter letters of recommendation because they don’t care about their students. Those letters are shorter because these teachers and counselors have to serve a lot more students and fill a lot more roles than non-rural teachers and counselors do. 

What do I want to develop or focus on next? 

I want to focus on developing a different format/approach to my toolkit. I’ve already let the team know that I would like to shift to more of a social media campaign rather than a brochure-based toolkit.