The University of Oregon and the College of Design are committed to ensuring every student has a successful education experience with plenty of institutional support. Whether that means identifying internal or external resources, the college strives to help all its students complete their educational journey successfully. One way the college is able to deliver on this commitment is thanks to partners like the Holden Center for Leadership and Community Engagement (Holden Center). The Holden Center offers a wide vvariety of workshops, coaching and other services to help our students gain experience and confidence. Whether you are looking for leadership development, experiential learning, or ways for community engagement on campus, the Holden Center provides opportunities for high-impact experiential and community-based learning while simultaneously fostering socially responsible leadership, empowering and challenging students to make positive impacts in their communities, and developing transferable skills for personal and professional growth. A trio of upcoming workshops offered by the center look to be especially valuable for first-year students, especially those in the School of Planning, Public Policy and Management (PPPM).
"These workshops are valuable for all first years, but PPPM students specifically because it serves as a stepping stone to not only give freshmen something to put on their resume, but an understanding of how to develop leadership skills and chase after the opportunities that fit them best," explained Jessica Brannan, PPPM '28. "When I was a freshman last year, I was exposed to a lot of really accomplished PPPM students and when I asked them how they got where they were, they didn't have too much transferrable advice for me, so part of the idea of this workshop was to help give back what I feel like I was missing last year—demystifying the in-between of being brand-new on campus and being a leader on campus."
The upcoming workshops are open to any first-year students who want to grow personally, professionally, and build community. Workshops will include personal reflections, group conversations, and activities designed to grow leadership skills. Hosted in the Holden Center (EMU 047) with snacks provided! The workshop dates are:
- Tuesday, Jan 27th 5:30 to 7:00 pm: Overcoming Imposter Feelings in Your First Year
- Tuesday, Feb 10th 5:30 to 7:00 pm: Discover Your Leadership Style
- Tuesday, Feb 24th 5:30 to 7:00 pm: Involvement and Leadership on Campus
"In the first workshop, we will discuss 'Imposter Feelings' (commonly known as Imposter Syndrome), which is the pervasive thought that you are not qualified/do not belong in a certain space. This applies specifically to first-years because many feel like they aren't capable of being a leader compared to upperclassmen. This comes up in clubs, upper-division classes, research, etc. We talk about how to combat these feelings and push through to access opportunities you may otherwise convince yourself you're not a good fit for. The next workshop in the series is about discovering your leadership style," explained Brannan. "This is important for first years because once you know how you best lead, you know what kind of opportunities would be a good fit for you. For example, if you're someone who is really good at inspiring others, maybe activism would be a good fit—these are things that are explored in the second workshop. The last workshop is all about how to leverage the knowledge built in the first two workshops to actually getting out there on campus. We talk about the benefits of being involved, where to look for opportunities, how to evaluate if it's a good fit for you, and how to network effectively. Our hope is that by the end of the series (or just a single workshop), first-years feel more prepared to put themselves out there on campus and take risks!"
The series is just one of the many ways that the Holden Center engages with the university, there are also resources for individuals and student groups hoping to take their leadership to the next level.
"I'm so excited to see what comes of this workshop—I know I would have loved something like this," exclaimed Brannan. "I hope freshmen from all over campus (and PPPM especially) will learn from our personal experiences and professional insights and go off to do great things!"