ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ experience helps student thrive as a leader and mentor
Anna Harmon, a senior biology and pre-occupational therapy major who's planning to get a master's in registered occupational therapy, gives ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ University credit for helping her realize her full potential. "My biggest takeaway from ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ is that I'm capable of so much more than I thought I was," said the Buffalo Grove, Ill., native.
Harmon originally came to ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program, but after two years in the program, she wanted to switch to . Changing a major is often seen as a challenging transition, but Harmon says that the faculty at ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ made it easy for her.
"ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½'s faculty and staff were super helpful. I don't think I would have been able to switch so easily without faculty rooting for me, and that goes beyond academics," Harmon said. "People at ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ want you to succeed and you can feel that once you're on campus." Harmon saw that the staff not only cared about her academics, but her passions as well.
Of course the college experience goes beyond the classroom and academics, and for the Pi Beta Phi sorority member, this can be seen in her active role over the past two years as a First-Year Experience Mentor (FYEM), one of the multiple paraprofessional positions offered on ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½'s campus.
"ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½'s paraprofessional staff is like Performance Learning for leadership," said Harmon. This year, Harmon was also the New Student Welcome Week Intern in the and worked with Molly Berry, director of Inclusion and Student Engagement, to plan and implement the training for FYEMs. Harmon also executed the New Student Welcome Week activities for the incoming students for the Fall 2018 semester.
"Being a FYEM has been my favorite part about ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½; it has been such a positive experience and I have really grown as a leader," Harmon said. "To me, the FYEM program is what ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ is all about - including students in ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½'s life and showing them that they are ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ too."
ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ has been a place for Harmon to not only learn and grow through her academics, but a place that provides the programs and spaces necessary for her to thrive as a leader. One of those programs is which has been an important aspect of Harmon's ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ experience.
"Pi Beta Phi is a place where I am able to thrive with a group of young women that want just as much out of their college experience as I do," said Harmon.
Harmon adds, "MU is way more than just an academic presence, it's a comprehensive experience that will support you with the resources you need to thrive. ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ has the power to make you more than you think you are. That's just ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½."
