Hi everyone! My name is Kirkland Halliday, and I am in my 3rd year of Interdisciplinary Kin. I haven’t figured out what I want to do once I graduate, but I’m very interested in anything related to the brain, especially concussions – of which I admittedly have had a few too many. For all those rare moments when I am not in Osborne or Wood, I love to do anything outside: hiking, running, surfing – you name it! I am on the Level 6 Coed Cheerleading Team at UBC, meaning that when I’m not in Osborne working in labs, I am probably still there for cheer practice.
In my opinion, “being a leader” cannot be defined because it means something different to everybody. For me personally, it means being the best person you can be at all times. It means stepping up whenever possible while accepting that people can demonstrate leadership in different ways. I believe that by recognizing different leadership styles we can each grow as leaders. Serving as a Senior Orientation Leader (SrOL) provided me with the opportunity to meet so many new friends in the Kin-munity this past year: these people have changed the way I see leadership, the way I see teamwork, and the way I see myself as well.
I think that the best part about being a SrOL was that it allowed me the opportunity to challenge myself. For example, I have always been a nervous public speaker but the SrOL position allowed me to step outside of my comfort zone and practice that skill. I have become much more confident when I present in front of others. Thanks to my fellow SrOLs and others with whom I worked, I learned to control my nerves and to have faith in my own abilities. Overall, becoming a SrOL was one of the best decisions I’ve made so far in my undergraduate degree, as it was a great way to meet other leaders, work on my goals, and challenge myself to try new things.