First year students of the University of Wyoming met last weekend, Sept. 26-28, in Centennial as participants of First Year Institute.
First Year Institute is a retreat that helps first year students define themselves as leaders. The retreat is designed so the student’s transition from a high school student to an independent college student is made much easier by recognizing their place on campus. Students are encouraged to get involved and become more active in pursuing their goals.
Sagan Hunsaker, coordinator of alternative breaks and volunteer programs at the SLCE office on campus, also coordinated this year’s First Year Institute.
“The purpose of FYI is to get students connected to other freshman, to have them learn about themselves as leaders, and have them learn about how to get involved on campus,” Hunsaker said.
Juniors and seniors chosen from an application process by Hunsaker lead the program. These upper-class students were chosen based on their experience as leaders of academia and campus involvement. This years facilitators included ASUW senators, Greek life representatives, advocates of diversity and social justice, participants and leaders of past alternative break trips, residential advisors and presidents of clubs on campus.
Robert West, a senior and double major of molecular biology and microbiology, was one of this year’s facilitators.
“I feel my role as a facilitator is to guide or coach these first year students in the process of developing their leadership skills and really being able to conceptualize their goals,” West said.
Throughout the weekend facilitators lead students through a series of activities challenging them to evaluate their values, construct visions of their future, recognize their goals and work with in a team.
Megan Griggs, a freshman from Seattle and participant of last weekend’s retreat thought the biggest benefit of FYI was meeting other freshman. “I think the community that we built has been really important and can help us keep each other accountable and keep us excited for the school year,” said Griggs.
Akriti Subedi, a freshman from Nepal, thought FYI had assimilated her to the culture of university life in the U.S.
“Being an international student I don’t know much about the states and the people so coming here I get to know more people and their culture closely and share my culture with them,” Subedi said.
The retreat began Friday, Sept. 26, when first year students and facilitators met in front of the union and drove up to Centennial together. Arriving at The Table in the Wilderness Retreat Center, the group was split up into teams of seven. There were four teams total. Each team was uniquely identified by a theme chosen by the facilitators. Themes included the wild things, the thundercats, the spice girls, and the goonies.
Saturday’s activities were more focused on the larger group. Participants engaged in exercises that focused on components of leadership such as modeling the way, challenging the process and encouraging the heart. Students were challenged to assess their values, visualize their future, define community and ask the facilitators questions about their experiences in college.
The program concluded Sunday when students reflected on their experience with FYI and wrote a letter to themselves expressing their goals and a means to accomplishing those goals. They will receive the letter in March.
Twenty-nine total freshmen attended the retreat this year.
