Before coming to CMU, one of the biggest events that I always heard about was Leadership Safari. Every CMU presentation and tour that I had seen always included and put an emphasis on this amazing event. I was always so intrigued by the thought of being able to experience this event myself and when I officially decided to come to CMU, I was ecstatic to be able to participate.
I remember signing up for Leadership Safari and being able to pick which speaker I most wanted to listen to, which of the many extra activities I most wanted to do, and already getting excited about what was supposed to come in the end of August. Soon after this though, the world turned upside down as the COVID-19 pandemic was just beginning. In the beginning, I honestly wasn’t that worried about it affecting my freshman year of college. That surely wasn’t the case. As news spread that Leadership Safari was going to happen in a different format this year, I was a little disappointed but still thankful it was going to happen. Instead of the several days of jam-packed activity that is usually Leadership Safari, this year it would only be a one-day experience.
As the beginning of the school year quickly approached, so did Leadership Safari. I was happy we were able to meet in person while staying socially distanced and being safe. My group consisted of two leaders and five participants, including myself, but we combined with another group who only had one participant. That moved us to a group of four leaders and six participants. We talked about our strengths, weaknesses, and relationships, as well as getting to know more about CMU in general. We also were able to socialize with games and ice breakers. I enjoyed that we had four leaders as it provided us with four different and unique outlooks and opinions about different topics. That day, I was able to form a bond with a few people that I’m hopeful to keep throughout my time here at CMU, and maybe even beyond that.
As I look back on my time during Leadership Safari, although it wasn’t exactly how I had always imagined it to be, it was still a fun and rewarding experience. I’m thankful that it was still able to happen in some way and understand why CMU had to make the adjustments. I truly believe that some of the topics and different perspectives we talked about and shared with each other will stay with me for a long time and can be put to use when dealing with other issues that may come up in my future. I hope to someday experience Leadership Safari in its full capacity even if it might not be in the near future.
Samantha McDonald 