Invariably, all the projects I have come across come with the end goal in mind. Sometimes, these goals are quite overwhelming, and it is how I feel about projects at the beginning. Also invariably, the end product meets or exceeds expectations. With workshop nearly over, I saw the many aspects falling into place. What was the secret of success? How is it possible for us orientation advisors to be leaders and followers at the same time? Before I go into that, I would like to show you what we have done.

My committee, OAABBQ (Orientation Advisor Activities and BBQ), is responsible for the day 1 barbecue, the break room (the OAsis), and the trip in the week that we do not have orientation. This room is located in a study lounge, which obviously does not look very thrilling to begin with. Our responsibility is to make it look great! To do so, we worked hours beyond what the supervisors scheduled for “committee work,” often working into 12 or 1 in the morning. As a result of this, we received a slight amount of bashing behind our backs. We were known as the committee that did not work very much and clumped together like no other committee does.

When we revealed the OAsis on Thursday, our work finally paid off. As each committee stepped in, we received looks of amazement, like this one:

Friday consisted of running through all the shows. Despite a few technical problems (such as a cohort’s computer being annoying), everybody was surprisingly patient and the actors were great! Unfortunately, I was only able to get pictures of the Midnight Prowl run-through. This is a picture of their reenactment of the 1961 Panty Raid:

Even as someone who is well-versed in technology, I still think that the technical portions are still the most difficult because errors in the final product cannot be covered up by any human act and hence become more distracting. Without the Multimedia and Publicity committee’s help, we would not have the amazing movie clips we saw on Thursday. As a matter of fact, they were amazing to the point of receiving a well-deserved standing ovation.

In a matter of only three days, practice will be over, and it will be time to reveal our work to the 7,200 incoming students and parents. The uniting forces for this product were teamwork, open sharing of thoughts, and the bonds of friendship. By following each other’s instructions, we became leaders and followers at the same time. I think I have said this once, but I will say it again: I could not be happier taking this job. I feel more confident and capable of working in a group of people.