We invited students participating in Berkeley Connect in Fall 2015 to enter our Berkeley Connect Student Voice Contest and share with us a memorable experience they had in Berkeley Connect. The second of two winning entries was written by Elizabeth Ellis-Falik, a senior majoring in Integrative Biology who participated in Berkeley Connect in Environmental Science, Policy & Management.
One of the defining moments in my Berkeley Connect experience this semester was a group activity we performed during one of our bi-weekly sessions. Unsuspectingly, our mentor directed our class outside where we would be performing what turned out to be an extremely challenging but also fun activity. We were instructed to gather around in a circle, close our eyes, and figure out how we could all get our feet off the ground, all with no verbal communication allowed! While it took us as a group a few minutes to figure out how to accomplish this task, we eventually were able to find alternate methods of communication and identify our individual leadership styles which allowed us to accomplish what previously seemed impossible (and we probably looked pretty funny while doing so!). This moment defined my Berkeley Connect experience by allowing me to look at my own skills while working with a group of like-minded peers to gain a new skill. Berkeley Connect overall allowed me to network with other students with similar interests all while having fun and learning more about myself and the opportunities available to me on and around campus.