For orientation leader Samir Jean-Baptiste, leading prospective FAU students wasn’t just about wearing a red shirt, khaki pants and a smile.
He had to study for months. Eventually, he learned how to walk backward while memorizing and reciting an entire book of random facts about FAU to become a leader – which isn’t as easy as it sounds.
“I never even thought about becoming [an orientation] leader,” Baptiste, a freshman psychobiology major, says. “I didn’t think I’d make it.”
That’s because the process of becoming a leader isn’t that simple. They’re not just tour guides and it’s not just filling out an application and expecting a phone call the next day.
Nine months ago, Baptiste and 21 other orientation leaders didn’t even exist. Last August, the orientation office was looking for fresh faces and a new group of people to join the summer team.
“We have people hand in the application in person first,” says associate orientation director Chris Lynch. “Because the next step after that is to assign them to a group that meets one hour each week for three weeks.”
Following the assignment, the leaders-to-be are put through a series of group activities and interviews where their communication skills are tested. Lynch says this narrows the selection process tremendously.
“We do group work first to see how [the students] interact with each other,” she says. “Then they go through a final one-on-one interview before they are chosen as leaders.”
Once the final 22 leaders are picked, they are given a welcome party and are officially named orientation leaders for the summer.
As compensation, the new leaders are paid $1,200 for 12 months and they receive summer housing.
They are also taken on a special three-day retreat to Lake Worth where they bond and unify as a group for nine hours a day.
“During the retreat, we all just to try to bond a little bit more and get along,” says Bradley Phibbs, an orientation student assistant. “It’s a lot of fun and we get a lot closer.”
But the testing isn’t over after they return from retreat. The leaders are then given written exams on 20 pages of random facts about FAU.
Then, they must go on a pretend orientation tour, where they recite all the information they just learned while walking backward.
“That was definitely the hardest part of becoming an leader,” says freshman Trudy Barry. “It was very difficult to walk backwards and remember everything.”
Regardless of all the tests, interviews and training these students must endure, Barry stresses the importance of getting involved as a freshman, adding that being a leader is an unforgettable experience.
“Make sure you have good time management skills,” says Barry. “Stay positive and have fun.”
Steps to Become A Leader
1. Fill out an application:This is the first and most obvious step if you want to become a leader. The only requirements are to have a 2.5 GPA at the end of your fall semester and to be a full-time undergraduate student. Make sure to turn in the application in person at the orientation office located on the first floor of the Student Support Services building.
2. Group interviews:Shortly after turning in your application, you’ll be assigned to a group, which you will meet for one hour each week for three weeks. At this stage of the process you will be interviewed in groups and evaluated in different activities such as ice breakers.
3. Individual interviews:The group of students who survived group interviews now go through one-on-one interviews with the associate director of orientation, the orientation student assistant, and the orientation coordinator present.
4. Welcome to the new leaders:New orientation leaders are selected for the following summer and are taken to a three-day retreat to fortify their leadership skills and to bond.
5. Final testsAfter months of training and testing, the leaders are given a final written test on FAU facts and a tour test to see if they can walk backward and recite all the necessary information for prospective students during summer orientations.
