Final Post (Reflections)

Mission, Values, & Engagement Reflections 

3) Have any ethical issues arisen for you during your time here as a member of the NDNU campus community? Did any of these arise out of your Community Engagement activities? Have you been challenged to assess your own ethical stances in any way? In what ways, if any, have these ethical considerations involved issues of justice or peace? In what ways, if any, have they caused you to change the way you think about your own future career choices?

            Personally, I feel very fortunate that I have not had any ethical issues during my time her at NDNU or with my community partner. Both of the communities that I have encountered at school and at my CP have been very kind and considering. Moreover, both of these communities have always been about helping others and helping other communities, which makes me feel fortunate enough to be a part of these communities. Even though I have not been challenged to asses my ethical stances, being a part of these communities has allowed me to evaluate what I actually believe in and what I stand for. Moreover, they have allowed me to make sure that I will include community service and help the community in my future endeavors.

5) How do you personally deine diversity? What have you learned during your time at NDNU abotu the challenges and rewards of embracing diversity? Is embracing diversity of value to the human and larger Earth communities? 

            For me, diversity is the blending of many cultures. In other words, it is when cultures come together to create a community among themselves. It is when cultures have respect for one another, and they can come together to blend their cultures into a community. I am also fortunate that I am able to attend a university which is a smaller campus, yet there is a great deal of diversity among this campus. Moreover, the students on this campus are able to come together and create a diverse community without cultures being a barrier for friendships. Diversity and embracing diversity is one of the greatest gifts and power that humans can have. Embracing diversity not only allows for people to establish new connections; moreover, it allows people to have a more open mind when it comes to many things. The more one knows about cultures, the more one is open to understanding the world. 

6) In what ways, if any, have you had opportunities at NDNU to build a sense of community with others? Who were the “others”? Were they students? Teachers? NDNU staff? Were they people you met through community engagement activities? Were they non-human beings? Who benefited from these interactions? Do you feel that you built a sense of community for those others or with them?

            To be honest, I am actually very pleased that I decided to come to NDNU for my bachelor’s degree. I’ve had so many countless opportunities to build relationships and a sense of community with the people around me. For example, I’ve established so many relationship with the students and teachers on this campus. Moreover, I’ve gained some relationships that I know I will maintain for the rest of my life. I know that the people I’ve connected on this campus, I was able to establish a sense of community with them. In other words, we have established friendships by connecting our cultures and learning more about our backgrounds. 

7) Have you had opportunities at NDNU to develop or refine your spiritual or ethical leadership skills in working toward a more just society? What specifically were those skills? How do you see yourself applying those skills during the remainder of your education and/or during your life and career after college?

            At the moment, I have not been able to use my spiritual or ethical leadership to actually work towards a more just society at NDNU; however, the social skills and interactions that I learned from my time here at NDNU did allow me to work for the district attorney’s office and be able to work towards a more just society. Mainly, my time here at NDNU taught me a great deal of confidence and public speaking skills. For example, before coming to NDNU, I was always extremely terrified of public speaking and presentations. However, after learning to build my confidence and continuously practicing to speak in public, I was able to overcome my fears. Nowadays, I am able to present, complete interviews, and interact with new people all through the skills I gained here at NDNU. Moreover, the skills and confidence that I gained will stay with me for the rest of my life, especially in my professional career.