Within the Discipline

Being a Senior Residential Leader has opened my eyes to all the leadership possibilities and the
great leader that I can be. I have found that my leadership style is servant leadership. I really
enjoy helping others, and showing them the great leader they can be. This leadership style forces
me to help whenever the opportunity arises whether that be walking down the street or helping
others with their homework. In class students and my residents notice how well I do
academically, and I feel pushed to help them understand material so they can excel in the class as
well. If I cannot help them then I work to find someone else who can. As an SRL I have built up
a lot of confidence in myself. This allows me to speak up, and voice my thoughts when the
situation arises. Without being an RL I would not have found my leadership style, worked on my
strengths, developed my professionalism, or improved my communication still

Beyond the Discipline

As an agbusiness student I have taken many business, accounting, and agriculture classes. With
the mix of these three areas I have learned many useful skills that I use outside of the classroom,
and will continue to use in the real world. In accounting, and personal finance I have learned to
successfully create budgets, and stick to them. This is a skill that I will need for the rest of my
life, and one that I use all the time in the SRL role as I have been asked to manage the budget for
legacy hall, and create a three-year expense report for RHA. In ag statistics, I learned how to
interpret data from surveys, and how to poll large quantities of people. With this skill, I have
applied it in RHA as well while seeking feedback from the on-campus population.

Beyond Academics
Outside of my organizations and classes I have grown as a leader, learned valuable life skills, and
served Tarleton students through the Residence Hall Association. I was pushed to join this
organization and run for President last year due to my desire to help others and grow as a leader.
RHA was in a rough patch and I saw it as an opportunity to build something great while making
a difference at Tarleton Through my involvement, I have assisted in growing
membership, planned and hosted events, budgeted, revised a constitution, presided over
meetings, served the Tarleton on-campus students, and helped other members find their full
potential as a leader. Not only was I involved in RHA, but I served as an on-campus senator, then
elected pro tempore of the senate, and later ran then won the election for Student Body President.
I give a lot of credit to the experiences I have had as a Senior RL, and through some of my
course work that has given me the confidence and ability to get myself out there and take on
these leadership roles.
Interconnectedness
In some way shape or form being an RL has influenced me to strive to be the best student leader
and the best Mason Barker I am capable of. I want to serve my residents, students, and the
Tarleton community. It took me becoming an RL to find my passion and desire to serve others as
well as to constantly better myself. I focus on helping as many people as I can, but I realized that
I have to work on myself to serve these people at my full potential. In order to do this, I have to
focus on my academics to learn as much as I can. not only do I need to learn as much I can, but I
need to share my knowledge. I need to work on my communication skills so I can speak with
people, and have those dialogues with them so they can grow as well as grow myself. I need to
be active in the Tarleton community to get real world experience and grow as a leader. I do all
this so I can serve at my highest capacity in all I do, whether it be as a Residential Leader, RHA
President, or Student Body President.
Global Awareness & Broader Implications
As a Senior Residential Leader, I have had to become more aware of the world and the people in
it. I have been exposed to all different kinds of people with so many points of view. It is my job
as an RL, student leader, and as a human being working to grow myself to talk and listen to these
people in order to understand. coming into college I was very narrow minded. I wasnt accepting
of others, and I had no desire to talk with a person of another race. Now, I have become a
Tarleton Ally, met so many new and interesting people from different races, sexual orientations,
and individuals with a different view on things. I have broadened my horizons, and it is truly
amazing being in a position to where it is my job to try to understand others. As well as, work
with students and turn them into successful college students, and responsible adults.