| STAFF WRITER
Student leadership is the best way to prepare for after graduation.
Chances are you have seen the sign somewhere around campus—over 400 positions available for student leadership—but are the number available positions a positive or negative?
Student leadership is one of the most powerful things that Azusa Pacific has to offer and, if done right, can be one of the most valuable experiences students can have.
It also helps people grow and learn who they want to be after graduation.
Mentorship is a vital part of the leadership experience, especially at Azusa Pacific.
The positions are meant to give students someone to be accountable to and mentored by, maybe even after the year ends.
There is a safe place where the supervisor can be honest and has your best interests at heart. It is a place to dialogue about life, hardships and the future.
Leadership can also point students into the career direction they are considering in their lives. It is a means of growing and shaping in order to better serve others.
Four hundred student leadership opportunities may seem like an excessive amount, but they are not all the same.
Each department has different opportunities to serve that challenge in a different manner and let students apply things learned in the classroom to real life.
Not all things are perfect, some things might be hard and other things may not work out as planned, but student leadership is an applicable practice of things we learn in the classroom. We are called to be the hands and feet of Christ, and what better way than to serve this community, hopefully making it a catalyst for service outside of the campus into the world.
I came to Azusa Pacific knowing two people, and as a sophomore transfer, I lived in the Shire Mods and I did not really see a lot of people and getting to know people here became a challenge.
In January, I heard applications were available to become a Resident Advisor. After talking to my roommate I decided to apply. This was the best decision I have probably made at APU.
I got the position in University Village, and from the moment I got the position, meeting people went into overload.
I met people that have become some of my closest friends who have been there when I am not having a good day, and have also been there to be my accountability, that I would have otherwise not met if I were not in student leadership.
More than that, I have learned a little more about myself than I thought I would have. I have learned where my strengths lie and the weaknesses I have, as well as where my passion is and the love I have for people.
It has been a chance for me to be stretched, strengthened and challenged, and that is an experience I would not take back.