Leadership Safari seeks more staff as program continues to grow
Two Leadership Safari guides run through rows of other guides at the welcome ceremony during the 2014 Leadership Safari event in Finch Fieldhouse.
Leadership Safari is preparing for continued increases in the program in both guides and student attendees next year.
Two thousand students signed up for the program last year. To accommodate the continued growth, 200 students were hired to be guides.
Dani Hiar, Director of Leadership Safari, said the increase in guides — from 180 to 200 — comes as a result of increased enrollment.
“We jumped from 750 students to 1,900 and landed at 2,000 safari members enrolled last year,” Hiar said. “In order to create a meaningful experience that’s not overwhelming, we try to match the number of guides to the groups to be 10 and under. Once you get beyond 10 or 12 (safari members) the groups kind of get disconnected.”
No prior experience with Leadership Safari is required for a student to become a guide. Guides must maintain a 2.3 cumulative GPA.
Hiar said any student can become a Safari Guide if they are willing to “make a difference” in students’ lives. Safari guides will lead their assigned groups of incoming freshmen through several events aimed at familiarizing students with campus.
“We look for someone who is really interested in being involved on campus and who’s willing to help new students transition onto campus,” Hiar said. “The Guides are peer mentors for the incoming freshmen and transfer students.”
Selection Staff Assistant Jennifer Drum and Training Staff Assistant Danielle Wieczorek work with Hiar to ensure Leadership Safari runs smoothly and students can gain the most out of their time there.
Drum, who has been involved with the program for the past five years, said that her own time as a Safari Guide has been “incredibly rewarding”.
“You don’t realize how much you’re impacting (safari members) until the week is over and they come up and personally thank you,” Drum said. “I don’t do (Safari) for myself. I don’t do it necessarily to gain personal growth, but every year I grew in some way, shape or form and it’s nice knowing that in doing stuff for other people you can grow (as a person) even though you’re not expecting it.”
Wieczorek said she values enriching new students at Central Michigan University.
“At the end, when you see the lightbulb switch on, you see the students connect,” she said. “(Being a guide) is literally the most rewarding experience you will ever have.”
Training for guides will begin at 1p.m. Sunday, March 22nd in the Powers Ballroom.
Fall training for Leadership Safari will commence Aug. 18.
