Learning to Lead
From lacrosse to Res Life, Bailey Tillman ’18 is building an impressive repertoire of leadership experience.
Bailey Tillman '18, Cohasset, Minn.
What activities and internships have you been involved with?
Right away freshman year, I joined Concordia On-Air (our campus news channel) and women’s lacrosse club. I’m now the executive director of Concordia On-Air and president of lacrosse club, so I’m glad I stuck with those activities!
Sophomore year, I joined Res Life as a resident assistant in Park Region Hall, which was an incredible learning experience for me. That year I also co-hosted Family Weekend Showcase, the talent show we put on for Cobber families. We decided to make it “Saturday Night Live” themed, so I got to dress up like all kinds of characters from skits through the years. I was nervous, but it turned out to be so much fun!
I started off year with a semester in Seville, Spain. I took classes in Spanish, lived with an amazing host family, and traveled all over Europe. I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything and it was very hard to leave at the end of the semester. I really hope to go back someday – hopefully soon.
Senior year, I was an orientation leader for an awesome group of first-year students (shout out to Club 23!). I also served on the Homecoming committee, working with the info booth team. We got donations from local businesses, handed out prizes, and answered questions throughout the week.
In addition to my activities, I’ve had two awesome internships – with Concordia’s Office of Communications and Marketing and the Concordia Career Center. For the marketing office, I’m a content assistant. So, I get to write and create blogs (like this one!) and help with video projects. It’s been such an important learning experience and ridiculously fun. For the Career Center, I’m the marketing assistant. I use InDesign, Illustrator Photoshop to create marketing materials for their events. Another great learning experience working with an awesome team!
How do you think your leadership experience will benefit you in the future?
I’ve had so many leadership opportunities at Concordia. From helping a floor of girls transition to college as an R.A. and organizing lacrosse tournaments to directing a live news show and leading a group of first-years during their first week of college, I’ve had some exciting experiences! They have taught me to manage my time, adapt quickly to different situations, communicate better, and work individually as well as on a team. I feel like all of these skills are applicable no matter what field of work you’re in, so I’m glad I’ve had so many opportunities to develop them!
Tell us about your recent PEAK experience. What was the class/project and what did you learn?
The PEAK class I took was Historical and Documentary Filmmaking with professor Don Rice. We watched many historical and documentary films throughout the semester and discussed them in class. But the main part of the class was a semester-long project: we had to create a documentary about 10 minutes long and we were required to get off campus and into the community. My team of three decided to focus on a local nonprofit, Plants for Patients (P4P). They get community members together to make ceramic pots, which would then be glazed, fired and planted with succulents. The pots are donated to the Red River Women’s Clinic in Fargo, where patients have the opportunity to take one home with them. P4P is all about one thing: compassion. Everyone we interviewed mentioned that word. They just want to create a loving and supportive community, and it was so great working with them and with the Red River Women’s Clinic. The project definitely pushed all three of us out of our comfort zone. I was in charge of camerawork and editing, which took up a huge chunk of time. Time management was key to getting it done on time. Communication was a huge part of the project as well. My team had to work around our own busy schedules as well as the schedules of the people we wanted to interview, so it was tricky to find times to get together and plan things out. But we did it! And we’re so proud of our short documentary. It’s really cool to be able to say “Hey, I made this!” and it was even better sharing it with the team at P4P.
What makes Concordia home to you?
This one’s easy. Concordia is home because of the friendships I’ve made here. I met some of my best friends on the first day of college in my orientation club and I’ve added so many friends since then. Because Concordia is a smaller school, it’s so easy to meet people and form real connections. I feel at home knowing I’m surrounded by so many people who genuinely care about me. Concordia is definitely a special place when it comes to forming relationships with your classmates, professors, co-workers teammates.
What are you planning to do after graduation?
My only real plan at this point is moving to Minneapolis. It’s such a cool, unique city and I feel like it’ll be a great place to launch my career. I’ve been applying to jobs and signing up for career fairs. I’m looking to go into marketing or a related field, like video production. I love writing, photography, design, videography and working with people – all of which have a place in marketing! Honestly, I just need a job that lets me be creative and connect with people. I’m optimistic about the future and can’t wait to see where I end up!
What has been a highlight of your college career?
There are so many highlights to choose from! A few would be my study abroad experience in Spain, making it to the championship game for lacrosse playoffs junior year (we got second place!) and going on a High Impact Leadership Trip to three national parks during spring break my sophomore year.
What advice would you give a prospective student?
Look for a place that you feel a connection to. I looked at so many schools when I was trying to decide where to go and, at a lot of them, I felt like a number – like I was just another student passing through. But at Concordia, I really feel connected to my professors, my peers the other faculty. Even my admission rep says hi to me on campus! You really are a part of the community here. I think college should be so much more than attending classes and sitting in your dorm room. Concordia will push you outside of your comfort zone and it will push you to make those connections that make college so great.
Published April 2018