It is that time of year again. It is time to start thinking about your summer plans, and it may be in your best interest to consider working at CNU as part of the Orientation staff. To help convince you, we asked a couple of our Her Campus CNU team members to write about their experiences with working for the CNU Orientation Department: Seniors Cody Byers and Jaime Harris.
Cody: Do you like CNU? (Of course you do!) Do you like meeting new people? ( Yeah… DUH!) Do you like making a significant difference? (Yes, after all, it is what being a Captain is all about.) What if I told you that in the process of making a significant difference on campus you could spend time with positive, outgoing, motivational people that would not only help you improve the lives of your fellow Captains, but your own life as well? Are you interested?
If you are not fully committed to the idea, then you should keep reading. I transferred to CNU in the fall of 2014. I speak as a student who has now been on both sides of the process, so I have much respect, praise, and appreciation for what our orientation staff does for new incoming students. Changing Tides (Transfer Orientation Day) was one of the most nerve-wracking days of my life. I had graduated from my community college two years earlier and hadn’t been in a classroom since, and the apprehension and fear I had about finally attending a four year university fleeted quickly thanks to my Tide Riders! *shout-out to Lindsey Lord and Michelle Brophy* It was refreshing to see their passion about OUR school, and how they spoke honestly and genuinely about how to succeed, and lastly encouraged us to become Captains. They told us how to embrace all the ideas and opportunities this campus had to offer us, and that advice worked for me. I came here and had the best academic semester of my entire collegiate career. I joined clubs, teams, and various organizations, made new friends, and even though I did not live on campus, Christopher Newport University felt like home. My Tide Riders made such an impact on me that it motivated me to want to give back so that I too could use our amazing university to help inspire others.
When the time came, I applied to be a Tide Rider so that I too could help my fellow transfer students who were coming in the fall of 2015. Not only did I interact and lead transfer students for a week, but I helped (or would at least like to think I helped) new incoming freshman students and welcomed them to Christopher Newport University. I worked to show them what it means to be a Captain. I learned new information about our school I had never known before and mingled with faculty and staff, which definitely improved my networking as well. Most of all, I like to think I made an impact on the students I interacted with in the fall and spring semester of this current school year because meeting them certainly had an impact on me and those whom I worked with.
Now you may be saying to yourself, “Yeah. I’d like to make a difference, but I thought you said I would get something out of this?” Indeed I did, and there are many personal benefits to this position. For me, I was able to:
1. Take a leadership role on campus that helped me grow and develop as a person.
2. The staff that I worked with (none of whom I knew before I applied to the position) turned out to be some of the most amazing, friendly, and inspirational people I have ever met, many of which I believe will be some of my lifelong friends.
3. The work we did, the meals we shared, and the amount of time we spent bonding together are some of the best memories I have made since I arrived on this campus.
4. I get to sleep better at night knowing I gave back to a place that has given so much to me in a short amount of time.
5. I got a paycheck.
6. I got some CNU swag (Who doesn’t appreciate that?).
There is so much more that I want to include, but it’s just hard to fit it all in this article. Plus there are so many different positions available and various ways to make an impact, so if you wish to know more, please reach out to the Student Directors of Orientation or Orientation Leaders like myself. You can email me at cody.byers.14@cnu.edu.
Jamie: Wow! Where do I even begin? Being an Orientation Leader is the best experience I have had at CNU. I transferred to Christopher Newport University in the fall of 2014. My Tide Riders were Ayla Peacock and Kayleigh Wagner! They were the first people I really came into contact with at CNU, and they truly have had the biggest impact on my experience at CNU.
When I transferred in, Changing Tides, the transfer student program, was only a day and a half long. The first day consisted of a tour, information sessions, and a ton of icebreakers. The second day consisted of Convocation and a picnic. By the end of the first day, I knew that I wanted to be a Tide Rider! I went to Sarah Smith, one of the Student Engagement Fellows at that time, and asked her how to apply for the position. She gave me her card and sent me an email when the applications were posted. In the spring of 2015, I became a Tide Rider! I was so excited for Changing Tides and all the incoming Captains. In the spring, the orientation is condensed due to the smaller amount of incoming students; however, there were still close to 100 students starting their journey at CNU. Because I had just transferred in myself, I could really relate to the students. I was able to share my story of transferring to CNU, my concerns, and how I adapted to the CNU community. I was able to connect students to clubs and organizations on campus that best matched their interests, and I was able to answer any questions they had. As Cody mentioned, there is so much that you can get out of this experience. I really could go on for days about all the memories made.
Shortly after Changing Tides of spring 2015, applications came out for summer/fall 2015 Orientation. I once again applied for the position of Tide Rider, but I also applied to be a Navigator. I was hired as a Navigator for Welcome Week 2015. I went through about a week of training for Welcome Week. Training included team-building activities, info sessions, icebreakers, diversity training, a Title IX session, and a couple of other things that really molded the Orientation staff into a family. Training also opened up my eyes to a lot of things that you would not normally think of on a day-to-day basis. Welcome Week was long, but so worth it. I absolutely love the people I worked with, and loved welcoming all the new Captains.
You do not have to be a transfer student to be a Tide Rider! The only position that has a specific requirement is that of SLAP Facilitator – you must be a PLP student. Other than that, you can apply for any position you like! It really helps to have people who are in different organizations on campus as Orientation Leaders – the biggest reason is that there will always be at least one person who can identify with an incoming student, or help answer a question they may have. It also allows the other Orientation Leaders to expand their knowledge about on campus activities, clubs, and organizations. I personally got involved with four on campus clubs/organizations because my coworkers were part of them, and now I have even more leadership roles to grow from.
I am best friends with some of the people I transferred in with, and I had not met them until Day 1 of Changing Tides in the fall of 2014. Ayla, my Tide Rider, trained me when I was a Tide Rider in spring 2015, and we got the chance to work together for Welcome Week this past fall. We are great friends, and I could not thank her enough for her positive impact on my experience at CNU. My experience from transferring in to CNU, to serving in two different Orientation Leader positions, has really had an amazing impact on me, and I highly recommend you apply to be an Orientation Leader! If you have any questions or just want to know more, please email me at jaime.harris.14@cnu.edu with any questions you have.