My time within the Community Engaged Learning Facilitators (CELF) program is a period I will never forget. It seems cliché to say, but I genuinely mean it. When I joined the program, I was a first semester junior with a flip-flop mindset, in regards to my career path, and a tendency to be a little more reserved. Now, though, I could not be any different-- and I believe it is only fair to credit the program for helping me achieve this 180-degree spin.
For starters, the time spent with peers within the program has brought me even further out of my shell. Between fun ice-breakers, and intimate reflections, I have grown comfortable with who I am around others and tend to be more trusting with those around me. Additionally, I believe the program has helped me develop my understanding and use of empathy. Time spent in reflection with peers leaves many vulnerable, and I have found that in reflections with people well-acquainted with one another, people are more freely their raw, true selves.
I have often been in the position where a peer confides a rather intimate fact about their personal life that requires me to be present in the moment and to listen-- not to speak, but to just hear. The skill of empathy requires this act of listening but it also requires the active decision to feel with the other-- to hear their story and to recognize their emotions as valid and relatable. Empathy does not mean you necessarily make it about yourself, but at the very least show that you understand. Even if you do not understand the exact situation, you can relate to the emotions that the person is experiencing. It is simply a way to be with another person and it is an act that I wish to continue to practice as I part from my experience at Lewis.
My time at Lewis has coincided with this program and I am going to miss both the University and the CELF program after I graduate this May. I wish I had discovered the program sooner, to be honest, but the past year and a half was worth it nonetheless. I’ll always remember to practice the empathy it has taught me and, also, I hope to keep reflection as an active part of my life within the career path that I have chosen. I feel as if reflection helped create a positive atmosphere among peers and also helped form closer relationships. I also want everyone I have had the chance to know and work with through the program, that I appreciated our time spent together and I wish each one of these people the very best of luck. -Skylar Latham