The President’s Leadership Program (PLP) at CNU brings together promising students and teaches them the essence of being a leader. Along with the mandatory freshmen orientation in the summer, students in the PLP program also attend a Summer Leadership Adventure Program (SLAP) orientation.
At first, I was a bit skeptical of SLAP week. It was a mystery. There were no descriptions online as there were for freshmen orientation, so I did not have a clue about what was to come. After freshmen orientation was over, I was on my way to the dining hall when I met Erica and Taylor. They were two of the SLAP week facilitators for 2013. I, at first, had mistaken them for two SLAP attendees.
My SLAP week facilitators from the Pink Team were Brittany and Catherine; they were two of the most enthusiastic, pep-filled people I have ever met. In their synopsis of the schedule for SLAP week, they emphasized that the program was formulated to challenge us physically, mentally and emotionally.
During SLAP week we participated in many icebreakers, such as “ride that pony,” “what’s in your milk,” and “look up, look down, look out.” At first, the icebreakers seemed a bit silly, but they were fun and hilarious. There were also other activities like baby travel pods, team olympics and the variety show. The objective of baby travel pods was to create a car seat from the given materials that will protect your baby (an egg) from a two-story fall. There also had to be a commercial that promoted the group’s car seat creation. Our group had one of the only two eggs that survived the fall.
Through all the icebreakers and activities, I can truly say that SLAP week was a life-changing experience, even though it seemed a bit silly at first. The program builds character, and I formed life-long friendships. Personally, SLAP week really built my self-confidence, and improved my self-concept. Through the genuine support over everyone involved, I was able to make it through to the end.
