Sabrina Young, Angel Soto, Riley Snow
by Sabrina Young, CGCC Peer Success Coach
Today I met a new student starting at Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) and they asked me, “What is the best way to meet people and make friends here?” Of course clubs and classes came to mind, but there was one unique experience that I had to tell them about. My name is Sabrina, and in the Fall 2022 semester, I attended the Student Leadership Retreat with two friends, Angel and Riley. We agree that it was easily one of the best experiences we had as students here.
We spent the weekend with other students across all of the Maricopa Community Colleges at a campsite in Prescott, attending workshops to improve our leadership skills and getting to know each other during meals and free time. During those three days (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), we learned more about ourselves, each other, and how we can make positive differences in our communities. Even though we were all exhausted by the end of it, we were glad that we went.
The three of us came together after the retreat to share our thoughts and we agreed on a lot. Here are the highlights:
Workshops and Guest Speakers:
The first is that the workshops were valuable. Even though we talked about some tough subjects, it was a comfortable space where we were allowed to speak openly and ask questions, which let us truly learn more and improve ourselves. One of the standout topics for us was activism. After hearing from a guest speaker, students were randomly grouped together and chose a cause they collectively believed in to advocate for. The workshop as a whole was insightful and eye-opening, and it was cool to see what other people were passionate about!
Activities:
The second thing that stood out was how genuinely fun it was. A large part of that was the optional activities they offered, such as morning hikes, low ropes courses, and nighttime campfires – all of them were a blast! These were great opportunities to talk in a no-pressure environment and make friends. There were also icebreaker activities on the first day that got a lot of laughs and worked well to get us talking to new people.
The Natural Things:
This section was really what blew us away looking back on the weekend. We all agreed that our favorite moments from the weekend were the things that developed naturally – when the students gathered together, invited as many people as possible, and decided to do something with no prompting from the staff. Our favorite example was karaoke. On Friday night, students from the Ridgecrest Cabin (where Angel and I stayed) saw a speaker and microphone set up and tested it out. When we found out that it worked, an impromptu karaoke session started using our memories and whatever songs we had downloaded on our phones. The next night, students in the other cabins had heard about it and nearly the entire camp gathered that night to do karaoke outside. It was so much fun and all of us were begging to do just one more song. Sorry to the staff for being difficult, but can you really blame us?
Another thing that Angel cites as one of his favorite things was a game of sharks and minnows that happened during free time, yet another one of the great things the students started together. There was also a post-karaoke dance party in Ridgecrest because we still wanted to hang out.
What did we get out of it?
We learned a lot during the weekend and made connections with amazing people. The goal of the workshops was to strengthen student leadership skills through an understanding of our own leadership styles, and it’s safe to say that you get out what you put in. If you want to learn about these topics and become a stronger leader, you will get a lot from the curriculum. Even the people I talked to who thought they might not learn anything were shocked by their personal growth in that weekend alone. All of the workshops had something to offer that taught us how to become leaders or that improved the skills we already had. As for the social aspect, it was great getting to meet so many and connecting on a deeper level than “What’s your major?” (although that question still comes up). The day after the retreat ended, everyone we could find on Instagram who attended was added to a group chat. Along with that, the CGCC students made a separate group chat for us.
Do we recommend going? (tl;dr):
If you’re available that weekend, we absolutely recommend attending the retreat. Not only did we have tons of fun, we learned valuable lessons and made new friends. All three of us attended for different reasons – Angel went because he wanted to be more involved with the school, Riley went because it sounded like a good experience, and I signed up because friends of mine were attending and I wanted to accept every opportunity that came my way – but we all enjoyed ourselves and learned more than we thought we would. It was such a supportive environment and all of us would happily go again.
If you do go, there are a few things you need to know:
- You have to do your homework ahead of time. Very few people had service, so if you don’t do your assignments before that weekend, you’re out of luck.
- Bring things that are fun to do! There are some provided games and activities, but we all wished we had brought board games and other things to do with our new friends. Whether it’s dumb fun like Madlibs or a full-on game like Monopoly, if you love it and have room in your bag, then bring it!
- Take this weekend to push your comfort zone. Riley and I’s biggest regret was not talking to more people. You will be tired by the end of it, so make your time and energy worth it. Make friends and apply yourself so you can get the most out of the weekend.
Applications for this year’s event close on Friday. September 1, 2023. Don’t wait, apply now!
Visit Coyote Connect at https://cgc.campuslabs.com/engage/event/9158291.
