Leading in a Living Learning Community

What?

Before my freshman year I decided to apply to the Residential Leadership Community (RLC) here at Virginia Tech. I originally applied for the many incentives including air conditioned and suite style dorms.  Needless to say, it was one of the best decisions I have made here at Virginia Tech. I have always enjoyed leadership and have always kept very involved through high school. The RLC is a living learning community and was a way for me to connect with many other students with the same interests. After my first year with the RLC, I decided to continue my involvement in the leadership program and apply to be a Peer Leader.

So What?

After the in-depth interview process of applying to be a Peer Leader I got the position.  I am one of eleven sophomore Peer Leader's living in Peddrew-Yates. As a Peer Leader, my role is to live within the Peddrew-Yates dorm and act as a mentor and a teacher assistant in their first leadership courses, LDRS 1015 and LDRS 1016.  As a Peer Leader is to help out in anyway in their LDRS classes and to be available to answer any type of questions the freshmen may have. I spend countless hours each week with the freshmen of the RLC and I wouldn't have it any other way. I enjoy helping through all of the simple struggles that they encounter within the first two weeks of being on their own. All of my friends constantly ask why I want to live with the freshman and volunteer countless hours of my time but they don't understand what leadership means to me.

Here are all of the Peer Leaders of the RLC in the dorm during the first weekend. We went around Peddrew-Yates with the "Welcome Wagon" and the Hokie Bird welcoming all of the new freshmen!

Now What?

Being a leader in the living learning community has had such a huge impact on the way I look at the definition of leadership. Before this experience I believed that a leader had to be older than the majority of followers and far more experienced. I now realize that because I am only one year older and have one more year of experience I am one of the most relatable and influential leaders at Virginia Tech acting as a medium between the students and professors. Being just two weeks into my sophomore, watching the freshman look up to me for not only questions in the LDRS class but questions about the many different aspects of life and what to get involved in.

I feel that through this experience I have determined that the best type of leader must be relatable and experienced. The more comfortable the followers are, the better the leader.