One special activity that we get to do before the trip to Italy is the CliftonStrengths assessment where we get to find out a short list of our strongest attributes we have to offer to a team. The purpose of CliftonStrengths as a whole is to identify your strengths so you can then maximize those whenever working on a team, rather than focusing on your weaknesses. If we can focus on our most valuable traits, then we can effectively work collaboratively and individually in our own unique ways. This activity is great to do before the trip as it allows us to keep in mind how we can contribute when put into the foreign (pun intended) situation of navigating Italy. I know that one of my strengths, individualization, fits right in with the valuing of each person’s unique skills theme of CliftonStrengths. This is helpful for me to recognize so that I can make sure the role I am playing as a student leader for this trip is one that helps others feel valuable and encouraged to participate. Another one of my strengths, maximizer, was fun to learn about because I do often find myself trying to make the most of any given situation, resources, time, etc. While I was aware that I did this before, I now have context of how to utilize this skill best for a team and I have had the chance to reflect on how that makes me an effective person.
Zach
