FLP
Amanda Mazzone's FLP Portfolio
Eventful Memories...
Scavenger hunt. The first of many FLP adventures my family and I conquered. Meeting each other over the sound of “mine mine mine”, aka our stellar seagull noises, was the most perfect way for us to meet. Relieved to be in a group with my besty with a testy, I felt like I could be myself and get to know the rest of our (kam)bootyfull group. Back in the day I knew Skutt as Claire. Those were dark times. Kambooty wasn’t kambooty. She was just Chris’s sister. Which may or may not be worse. JUST KIDDING. Haha. BLA 88214 was Brianna Argubright who lived down the hall who disliked talking to people according to a little whispering steal toe boot whose name will be said…Tom. Jairo spoke Spanish. Jajaja. Drew, who even were you? And Kevin was slack jaw who had incredible endurance running through the city with kambooty in her chacos and I. Back in those days, I barely knew any of you. When we were running through the city, like a bunch of dauntless, I felt at home. When we sang to the dozens of random people on the streets, I knew we could be ourselves…and make a harmonious barber shop quartet. When we took all those pictures, I knew we were sexy. When we won the contest, I knew we were extraordinary. And when we had dinner together, I knew we were family. The scavenger hunt is the first memory I will have of FLP. I know there were some stuff before that but nothing will compare to this. The scavenger hunt is and always will be my most favorite day in FLP.FLP takes over the Ras.
Leaders to Follow
Lucky for us, Father Lannon was the first to speak to us for our very first seminar. He was a great example for CU Leadership and Exploring Our Values. He stressed three things: Everything we do relate to our mission, we must be clear about our mission and take the time to asses our mission, and our mission must be big enough for all. We have to have values such as personal responsibility, respect, forgiveness, compassion, reflection, and integration. Father Lannon also spoke of daily personal challenges of leadership. Being leaders we must take the time to understand ourselves and the challenges that come our way.
Leadership Skills...:
Soy Amanda Mazzone. I am small, Asian, bright, funny, spontaneous, ambidextrous, brown, awkward, caring, odd, loud, oblivious, silly, crazy, stupid, love-ing, lame, reckless, bizarre, rambunctious, passionate, outgoing, friendly, shy, nervous, smiley, beautiful, brown, 19, repetitive, 19, fast, lazy, romantic, hurtful, free, American, optimistic, creative, worrisome, scatterbrained, restless, selfish, selfless, bipolar, tired, energized, impulsive, irresistible, indecisive, cheerful, fabulous, eager, emotional, proud, unrealistic, a dreamer, persnickety (just kidding, I’m not. I just thought that word is fun to say), saucy, powerful, weak, strong, suspicious, well-rounded, willing, thoughtful, kind, and hopefully unforgettable. This is who I am and the person I have come to be. I’ve always thought of myself as pretty self-aware, but growing older and being in FLP, I see that there are so much more I have yet to learn about myself. I know I’m a leader, a friend, a mentor, sister, lover, and fighter. I know I have my talents and strengths. Along with those, I also know I have weaknesses and faults. I know I’m not perfect, but that won’t stop me from accomplishing my goals and being who I want to be. For example: I always thought I wanted to be a doctor. Go to school for Premed, ace those classes, get into med school, and BOOM. Doctor. Dream made. As I went through with my first year at Creighton and in FLP, I noticed that the path that I had forced myself onto was not making me happy. Once I sat down and reexamined what I wanted out of life and what would make me most happy, I found Prelaw. I found something I was interested in, excited for, and passionate about. I found a future within myself. And I cannot wait to see what else I have in store for myself. Miss independent by Ne-Yo was a song that always struck a chord with me. As a young preteen girl, I was taught by the media (especially Ne-Yo) that being independent was an admirable trait. That was how I was going to live my life, independently. I am thirteen, I don’t need no man. I don’t need help. I’ve got this all in the bag. Boy was I wrong. Now I’m not saying being independent is wrong, no. It’s just that I learned that being independent all the time could be quite tiresome. We can’t do everything by ourselves.
PART 1: Mastery of Program Knowledge Base
Section 1, 2, and 3
I always saw my problems in my life as crosses. Like Jesus, we bear our crosses and struggle carrying them. What most people forget is that Jesus, Son of God, could not do it alone. He still needed help. Men and women for others taught me how to depend on people and how to serve them in the most beneficial way possible. I learned this during our seminar with the maze. Hardheaded and stubborn, I refused to ask for help when I needed it. I got out of the maze only because somebody had lifted my hand up off the rope and told me to trust her. In that moment I knew that it was okay to ask for help and when I got the help I needed to help those who have yet to understand the importance of being there for each other. Along with being self-aware you also have to know your personal skills. I’ve always been one to make others smile. That is one skill I personally believe I have. Along with being athletic, quick thinking, and a little silly, I’m a leader because I can understand, trust, and love people. THANK GOD ALMIGHTY I AM IN FLP. Without out it, I would have never learned how to be professional. We had a speaker come to talk to us about resumes and interview etiquette. Ever since I’ve learned the secrets of the man behind the desk, I’ve become a new woman, a more successful woman who looks damn good in a suit. I’ve gotten an internship, became a welcome week guide, and a new FLP mentor. I can’t be anymore proud of myself and grateful for everything I’ve learned in FLP. Putting all these leadership skills together (Unity of Mind and Heart, Men and Women for and with others, Cura Personalis, and professionalism) I’ve become and Agent for change. Never have I ever put myself in positions of great leadership or positions where I had to step up to the challenge. Putting all these skills together, I’ve grown to be someone who can be reliable, passionate, and successful.
The second adventure my family and I conquered. Knowing that our group was a little more competitive than the average mentor group, I knew coming in that that day was going to be fun. We worked our asses off using our talents and strengths to bring us to victory all the while cheering for each other on the sidelines. Not only did our mentor family grow stronger but I also got to see how all the other mentor groups got along and worked together. It was amazing, seeing all our different talents and leadership qualities come together under one roof. It’s crazy how little competition can push people. Living with everyone on the floor, I thought I had a pretty good idea of how people would react to certain situations. To my surprise the people on our floor, although they lost to us, put up quite the fight. They were supportive, challenging, and being leaders in ways I’ve never thought of leading. It was amazing to watch 60+ people running around chaotically and yet beautifully at the same time. Can’t help myself from smiling when I look back to that day.Talk about not being able to stop smiling. Retreat. That was a crazy time for all of us. Everything about it was amazing. Normally, when it comes to retreats, I kind of look down at them. One time I went to a retreat back in high school that was amazing. It was my confirmation retreat and it was literally the best retreat I had ever gone on. It was life changing. Ever since then, retreats have never really lived up to it. Now cue FLP retreat. Wow. I loved every second of it. From getting walked in on in the bathroom by the bus driver to sleeping under the starry night sky, it far surpassed any retreat I’ve been on. Watching Katy and Drew on the ceiling speaking only one word at a time to us made me so happy to have them in my life. Going on the one on one talk with Jack Pietig was so philosophical and deep, most people would laugh at the fact that I had to go with Jack Pietig. Honestly he probably knows more about me than anyone else on the floor. The candlelight, although long, was eye opening. The fact that people wanted to share their deepest thoughts, feelings, and buried pasts inspired me to tell my own. That night we cried together, laughed together, and bonded in a way only FLP could bond within a month of knowing each other. And to tie all of retreat together and make it perfect, we slept outside in the wilderness of Iowa in our sleeping bags right underneath the stars. They were so bright and beautiful. It reminded me of home. Then I realized, with the people that were out there with me lying next to me, I was home.
We have to think of longevity, be clear about who we are and don’t judge ourselves based on how others see us, externalize conflicts, trust our partners, listen to ourselves, find a place of sanctuary, and find a sense of purpose. Some of the stuff he said that really stuck out to me was that even at the worst of times, learn not to fold. His leadership in is in the Jesuit mission, to set the world on fire. Dr. Robert Dornsife (aka Professor Snape) spoke to us on the Courage to Find Passion. He discusses how we tell ourselves that aren’t true to make things easier for ourselves. In reality, we shouldn’t be doing that. It’s college! In college, be who you want to be. Find your passion and get credentials. Soul search and find the courage to pursue your passion that is the meaning of being a freshman. Professor Snape urges us to have the courage to pray/think to ourselves, what do I love to do? You can’t really apply thought to your passion because you cannot change it. He makes a reference to Henry David Thorough “If I don’t live my life, no one is going to live it for me.” Now the problem is, how do you find your passion? Keep your doors open as long as you can and when you find the thing that makes you lose time doing it that is your passion. Dream big and bring yourself there. Without passion, you don’t have a chance. Colleen Batcheler from Conagra Foods shows how leadership takes affect in a large corporate business. Vice president and head lawyer for the company Conagra Foods, she shows us how she helps the company win. Always teach and trust, push for personal excellence, constructively challenge, see the big picture, and think two steps ahead. She stresses what not to do with a position of leadership as well. Don’t stifle your potential, settle for mediocrity, silently doubt and fester, and lag two steps behind. Plus she shows us how she can be funny and still be a person of high priority. Jerry Coolman is truly inspirational. All perfect children of God, he gives us hope to be happy and love the life we are given.