Alexander- Week 4- Florida Gulf Coast University

Activities:

• Toured the facilities
• Shadowed facility manager during a shift
• Observed orientation breakout session
• Assisted in organizational exposition
• Set-up brief meetings with professional staff
• Began work on facility tour script

Reflection:

Man, oh man, where do I begin? My experiences thus far at Florida Gulf Coast University have been phenomenal! From the time I stepped off the plane, I begin to experience life as a Floridian. I was told to get use to the afternoon thunderstorms and frequent rainy weather during the summertime. Luckily, these rainy spells don’t last very long, which in turn makes for an incredible sunset.

I was introduced to the various areas of Campus Recreation at FGCU from aquatics to the fitness center and everything in-between. I met the majority of the professional staff as well as the student workers. Everyone was very welcoming and I came to the quick conclusion that I would fit right in. I had concerns that I would feel like an outsider and become isolated from everyone, however; this has definitely not been the case. My supervisor informed me that my first task would come at 6:30 Saturday morning (O_O)! What a great way to start off my Practicum. I was surprisingly excited to dig in despite the early time. I learned the procedures of setting up for a local swim meet. With this being my first swim meet, I learned a lot of valuable information and lingo that I didn’t know before. I never knew how much time and effort went into these types of events.

Swim Meet of 200 participants!

I received a brief tour of the campus after arriving. My first thought was: FGCU is simply amazing. When I pulled up, I thought we were at a private resort or something (No exaggeration). Palm trees line the entrance, not to mention the multimillion dollar mansions next door. FGCU’s campus is very environmentally friendly and prides itself on this characteristic. The campus also has over 14 miles of nature trails and very wildlife friendly (deer, wild boars, alligators, exotic birds, etc.).

#TrueStory

Yikes!

My friend Roger

This week was very busy! With me only having three weeks here, I have a lot to learn in limited time. One of my first tasks on the job was to attend the Campus Rec orientation breakout session. I observed the student staff present information about Campus Rec to the incoming freshmen. By the end of the session, my supervisor told me that I would be presenting this information as well once I was ready. This made me feel very nervous, however, one of my goals for this practicum experience was to become more confident in my abilities. I took on the challenge, and one day very soon I will put my skills to work. I also participated in the organizational exposition where we had to set-up a Campus Rec table and answer any questions the students may have. This was my first real experience talking to students about another university. Just as Thomas and others have said, it felt a bit weird at first, but after a couple of times it became more natural.

Table Setup

This week has been jammed packed with new experiences for me. I've had the opportunity to sit down with some of the professional staff and hear their stories of how they ended up in Student Affairs and their journeys to Campus Recreation. My supervisor has also given me the opportunity to experience the "best of both worlds" through Campus Recreation and Admissions. We have setup a time for me to go and shadow the Director of Orientation and see the daily operations of FGCU orientation. It's process is very unique and i'm very eager to learn. One of my major accomplishments for the week was simply asking if there was a tour script for the facility managers to follow during their facility tours. My supervisor told that there was not one and that I should start working on one. So a little initiative took me a long way. My first real project as a pre-professional :) I'm excited to get that written up. 


I have had a lot of great life experiences since being here. I feel as though I got a little dose of what I will experience once I graduate. Moving away from family, having to figure things out on my own, being trusted to complete tasks, and actually being treated like a "real" professional staff member. It has been amazing! Can't wait to see whats in store. 

I'm sure I left tons of things out, but this entry was starting to get lengthy. Can't wait to fill you all in on my progress here at FGCU! Until next time my good people, PEACE!