Jordyn Usselman Portfolio.pdf

7/25/2019 Jordyn Usselman Portfolio.pdf

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Jordyn

Usselman

Dundas Valley Secondary School2012-2016


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Personal Leadership Philosophy

Leadership Quotation

Before GPP and BOH- Halloween 4 Hunger- Cancer Awareness Committee- Relay For Life

- Grandpa Passing Away- SPCA- Neighbour 2 Neighbour

During GPP- Leadership Camp- World Diabetes Day- Mentoring

- Hamilton Urban Core- Coaching- Osfest Garage Sale- True Colours- Together We Create Change

Conference

During BOH- Yearbook- Dundas Community Bottle Drive- Senior Year- Dire Woofs- Global CONNECT Program

Personal Manifesto & Pathway Plan

Reflections

After GPP and BOH- Graduating- University- Travelling- Continue Relay for Life- PETA- Leadership Project- Service Experience

Projects andExperiences GPP: Global CONNECTBOH: Business Leadership


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Personal LeadershipPhilosophy

My personal leadership philosophy is simple yet powerful. It has changed over timeand has molded along with me and my leadership style. My experiences, classes, skilldevelopments, and so much more has lead me to believe that my leadershipphilosophy is simply to inspire, uplift, and motivate others.

Now, a leadership philosophy typically defines your theory, attitudes, principles, andbehaviour towards leadership. So to break it down within my philosophy, my theoryentails the simple idea of uplifting and empowering yourself and other people. Theidea of a Leader Breeder is a strong basis for this as I believe the best leaderscreate more leaders.

Moving on to my attitudes towards leadership, I believe the characteristics ofleadership are applicable to everyone. Having a positive attitude towards leadershipcan really make of break you as a leader. Those that accept challenges and face them

head on tend to be the most successful leaders. However, I believe being a successfulleader is attainable to everyone. The legendary Hall-of-Famer football coach VinceLombardi has always said leaders are built, not born.

My leadership principles are derived from various leadership articles, first handexperiences, class projects, and volunteer/ extra-curricular experiences in and outsideof school. My principles are that leadership is a behaviour not a position, to alwayslead by example, actions speaks louder than words, unity is strength, and there isalways room to learn and grow. With that, these principles correlate into my behaviour

within leadership. I enjoy being in a role model position, setting good examples, andlearning from others, all of which are key attributes within leadership. Ive alwaysseemed to be the person that wanted to do all the work in group settings but Idefinitely learned how to delegate tasks and showcase strengths.

Overall leadership is such a key component with your success, character, and growth.I strongly believe that those leaders that lift others, actually end up lifting themselvesas well.


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You dont need a title to be a leader

- Mark Sanborn

As soon as I saw this quote, I knew it was the perfect summary of myleadership experience throughout high school. Leadership is somethingthat can be achieved on a daily basis in the simplest forms. Leadership ischallenging yourself, taking action, inspiring change, and empowering

others. This cannot be defined under a title, they just simply need to bedone. It is proven that empathy is actually in human nature; we naturallycan sense and feel what others are and establish a connection. Actingupon this can easily be classified as leadership.

These past years Ive learned that I do not need to attend a camp, run acommittee, join student council, or participate in every sports team to beclassified as a leader. Now, those definitely do contribute to the skills andexperience that assist who you are as a leader, but leadership isnt meantto just stop there. I do not need an important, specified title todemonstrate what Ive learned about leadership. I apply it every singleday with my peers, mentors, co-workers, friends, family, and even people Ihavent met! There is no defining line or specification that determineswhether one is a leader or not. It is the small actions and the impact youhave on yourself and others. Who are we to put a title on that? Leadershipis in everything.

Leadership


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Halloween for Hunger is an event Dundas Valley runs each year to collect cans for alocal food bank. Instead of going trick or treating for candy, students are asked tocollect cans for those who are less fortunate. I participated in Halloween for Hungerwhen I was in grade 10 and I am not only proud that I did but incredibly grateful. It wasa very rewarding experience that allowed me to gain many skills. Just knowing that youare doing something so simple but incredibly powerful for someone else is a pricelessfeeling that I definitely gained from participating in Halloween for Hunger.

Myself and two others were given a specific route where we had to, first, drop off flyersto inform residents in the neighbourhood of what was going on. A week later, onHalloween night, we went back to those houses and collected cans for the food bankand dropped them off at the school. The willingness of people in the neighbourhoodwas something great to see. We would visit houses that would give about two or threegrocery bags full of food items!

I strongly believe that from this simple but powerful experience I

gained many useful, life-long skills. Not only did I realize thetrue importance of giving back in the community, but alsoteamwork, responsibility and organization. From this, I assistedwith Halloween for Hunger in my Global CONNECT class.Although I did not go on a specific route, the whole class ralliedtogether to load up the enormous amount of packaged fooditems.

The three of us really had to work

together as a team to finish ourroute and collect all the food in time.Moreover, responsibility andorganization was definitely involved;we were all responsible forcompleting our route and getting thedonations back to school and had todo such in an organized manner.Overall this is one contributingexperience that has shaped who Iam and I love seeing how it varieseach year!

Halloween forHunger


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An experience that I definitely gained many things from would have to beCancer Awareness Committee. We ran many fundraisers and events, andraised a ton of money towards cancer research and support. Some of theevents included; Bottle Drive, Kick the Bucket, Tee Shirt Sales, Bowl-a-thon andHead shaving. One of the highlights for me was the success of the CancerAwareness Assembly. It was such a great experience to see what we, as ateam, can accomplish. Overall I believe it was a very empowering event that

inspired me to lead the committee the following year.

As for my role in this committee, I contributed to various things in the elapsedtime we had. During our main event of the assembly, I handed out cheques, andtook pictures of head shaving. For Kick The Bucket I had to bring in buckets andhelp count money collected. I also had to assist with sweater design and teeshirt sales. There were various things that had to be done but everyone workedtogether well to accomplish our goals.

I really took a lot away from thisexperience and am grateful for theopportunity for me to make adifference in my community. Cancer issomething that affects many people,including myself with my grandpaspassing so it was very meaningful to

me. Something I definitely took awayfrom this was how precious life is andhow truly grateful I am for each andevery day. I could not even imaginethe hardships patients suffer every dayand just knowing I made a slightdifference made all the hard workcompletely worth it in the end.

Cancer AwarenessCommittee


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Relay for Life is something Ive done for twoyears now with a group of ten of my friends.Held in June at the Ancaster Fairgrounds, eachone of us strongly looks forward to this eventeach year. We pitch our tents and begin a long,powerful, and beautiful night in the fight againstcancer. For the past two years everyone on myteam has raised between $100 - $300 each forcancer. This event is so special to me and hashonestly changed my life. From talking to thecancer survivors and their families to walkingaround the track with the candles in honour ofthose who lost their battle or are still fighting isan overall incredibly moving experience. Butnot only is this event incredibly emotional, it is

also a lot of fun! We order pizza, participate inzumba, listen to live music from various localbands and so much more!

With Relay for life I have a very key role as I am a co-captain with PaigeCarbonneau. Two years ago it was our initial idea to get a team of our friendstogether for this important cause! Since then our team has grown and more of ourfriends have gained an interest. This year we are even trying to start two teamsinstead of just one. Before the event it is also my job to raise money and encouragemy other teammates to raise money in order to participate.

Overall this event has a great impact on my life. It made me incredibly grateful for thelife I have, and with my grandpa losing his battle to cancer makes me even moremotivated to continue this event and encourage others to get involved as well. It notonly unites us in the fight against cancer but also brings friendships and many longlasting memories. Talking to all my friends after, we all agreed that it was a great startto summer and should definitely be a continuing tradition. Relay for Life is a very

important experience for long lasting friendships and a good cause!

Relay for Life


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Something that has definitely impacted my life drastically would have to be mygrandpa passing away October 2013. I experienced many mixed emotions andlearned how to deal with grieving, guilt and overall truly missing someone and havingto accept the fact that they will never be there again. It was a difficult time for myfamily because he was very sick with pancreatic cancer and was also very old andweak that we all had to watch him slowly slip away. I remember visiting him and noteven recognizing who he was because of all the weight he had lost and the

expression of his face.

I visited him as much as I could and as he passed I felt more and more guilty of nothaving done that much sooner. He was a man who loved his grandkids and althoughmay have not been very active in his childrens/my dads life he made sure to be inours. He never failed to remind me of how beautiful I was or of how special hethought each of my cousins and I were. As he passed he know that he was lovedand I truly believe that it was all he needed to die peacefully.

All in all, he was the first person I lostthat I have actually been close with andit was not an easy experience. I learnedhow to deal with many mixed emotions,and the importance of love and supportfrom my incredible family and friends. Itmade me grateful for the life I have andnot to take this life I am blessed to livefor granted. The last time holding hishand is something I will never forget andit is my only wish that he looks down andis proud of each and every one of us. Ido many things involved in the fightagainst cancer as it is something verydear to my heart because it is all for himand his struggle with pancreatic cancer.Overall he was a hardworking man and

very special to many people and willnever be forgotten.

Grandpa PassingAway


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A couple of years ago I had the privilege to give some of my time and volunteer withthe Hamilton- Burlington SPCA. When I was much younger I attended a juniorvolunteer camp which really inspired me to get involved and make a difference forthose animals in need. I have discovered from this experience that animal rights isdefinitely something I am passionate about and hope to be apart of finding justice toanimals who deserve it. Going there and seeing so many animals neglected orabused broke my heart and even though I may have been young and did not quite

have a full understanding of the hardships, I knew I wanted to help make a difference.

Although I did not have a very specificrole in this experience, I personally madeit a goal for me to help and be a voice foranimals suffering. This experiencegreatly changed me. I remember seeingpoor dogs who were blinded, had many

infections, were involved in dog fightingand I promised myself that I would neverstand for such cruel treatment to anyinnocent creature. I could never wrap myhead around how someone could abuseanimals, or force them to fight, or anyform of cruelty really.

From this, I expanded my research to

not only companion animals but allanimals. I researched factory farms andanimals used in the entertainmentindustry or for tourist attractions and itdisgusted me. Since then I have donatedmoney to animals rights organizations,signed many petitions, and volunteeredmy time all because of this oneexperience when I was a young girl.

SPCA


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For my YPI (Youth and Philanthropy Initiative) project, myself and three othersdecided to spend our time at Neighbour 2 Neighbour located on the HamiltonMountain. It was such a great experience and we really got to see the hard workfrom volunteers there and the effort needed to run a food bank for those in need.This was very rewarding and did have an effect on my life as it made me want tovolunteer more, help those in need, and give back to my community.

My role in this experience was that I had to create a presentation in the hopes ofrewarding this organization with five thousand dollars. It became very personal tome and I was really shown how much they needed the money and my group reallywanted to be the ones to help them out. Unfortunately we were the second runnersup so did not receive the money but another deserving charity took the lead, whichI was still very happy for. It was such a great thing to be a part of and knowing thatwe had all of Neighbour 2 Neighbours support behind us was great. I met so manygreat people and definitely would love to go back sometime.

This experience not only impacted me, but also taught me many things. I learnedthat poverty is everywhere and help should be everywhere as well. Something thepeople at Neighbour 2 Neighbour really demonstrated was endless support andgratitude which was very much appreciated. This is definitely something that I thinkI will always remember doing, and just making it to the finals for this greatorganization was an accomplishment. The kindness everyone shared wascontagious and I think the YPI program is amazing and should be instilled inschools everywhere.

Neighbour 2Neighbour


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I was lucky enough to be one of the chosen students to attend Everest LeadershipCamp 2014. This camp took place in September and was run by grade 12 studentleaders. There were various team building activities, workshops on how to be agood leader, and an overall great opportunities to be built up as a person. I learnedso many new skills and instilled the confidence in me to really take on a studentleadership role.

Specifically, I went to learn how to be a leader in my school and plan for a charitygarage sale we hosted with the grade 7s from the feeder schools. This was such arewarding experience and I really gained the confidence I needed to not only be aleader in my school, but also my community. I was pushed to step out of my comfortzone and really challenged myself and I think I gained a lot of skills by doing so.

Evidently, I took a lot out of this experience and gained many important skillsneeded to improve my skills and be a positive role model. In this short time, Igained confidence, I learned how to challenge myself even more, and learned a lotabout teamwork and togetherness in our school. It was such a great couple of daysand I am truly grateful for this experience.

Leadership Camp


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Planning and hosting the Osfest Garage sale was one of the many reasons I waschosen to attend Student Leadership Camp (mentioned previously). This was a greatexperience that made me put everything I learned at camp to the test. First we had tohost our own leadership seminars and give presentations to grade 7 students of ourfeeder schools, then myself and fellow leaders went to these schools and started ourplanning! I loved the idea of being a role model for these young students and just

talking to them alone was a fantastic experience. My team decided to make our tabletoys and entertainment and our table was very successful at the garage sale.

Myself and three others were the high school leaders of about 5 seventh gradestudents from Central Public. We had to help them brainstorm items they can bring in,set up the table, help with the garage sale and assist them in any way needed. Ithoroughly enjoyed this experience and it made me realize that I want to take on moreleadership opportunities.

With this and Leadership Camp combined, I gained so many life long skills. Workingtogether and helping raise money for United Way (the chosen charity) was such agood feeling and we all had so much fun doing it! This made me realize even morethat I love working with kids and being a role model, I improved on my presentationskills and I also was able to help others and myself work together for a good cause.Overall it was a great experience that had a huge impact on my leadership skills.

Osfest CharityGarage Sale


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Something so evident throughout my leadershipexperiences is when myself and six others ranWorld Diabetes Day in Global CONNECT. I donteven know where to begin with this experienceoverall. I gained so many things and looking back Iam so proud of what we accomplished. We hosted

a school wide event that included a BBQ, zumba,forming a big circle, and a photo booth. I am soincredibly proud of what we pulled off and wouldlove to do it again.

I had various roles involved with organizing andplanning WDD. I had to keep track of the bluebinder, take notes, design tee shirts and sweaters,get props for the photo booth, attend variousmeetings with teachers and principals, and sell andcollect tee shirt money. Overall my role and manyothers was very evident to the day and without allthis planning it would not have been as successfulas it was. As for the actual day, I had to make sureeverything was running smoothly, rally peopletogether, keep track of time, set up, and clean up.

This experience taught me a lot about myself andthe importance of efficient planning. I also learnedhow to be a contributing team member and takeadvantage of the strengths and weaknesses we allposses and use those to our advantage. I gainedconfidence in my organizational skills as well as myleadership skills. I thought the day was veryrewarding and all though things may have beenstressful at times it was definitely all worth it in the

end.

World Diabetes Day


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For Global Connect one of our five main projectswas planning a five week mentoring session forgrade 10 students who were lacking motivation intheir careers class. I am truly glad I got to do thisand I really accomplished more than I thought Iwould. At first I did not feel comfortable taking on anplanning this for students who did not really

consider me as a leader. I was quickly provenwrong and I realized that I was being looked up toas a mentor and had to do my best to set a goodexample and plan age appropriate activities. This isa key component I Learned about leadership,someone is always looking up to you, even when itmay not be recognized or you may not have aformal leadership title.

Week by week, a group of us had to plan mentoringsessions including class time, group time, andndividual time. I really got along with my menteeand I believe I really showed her the importance ofgoal setting, planning, and decision making. Overall had to constantly be a leader for these studentsno matter how close the ages are and the differentopinions we had.

By completing this project I learned the meaning ofa true leader, the importance of time managementand planning, and how to remain organized at alltimes. Overall I had to be a role model even though was only a year older. I had to grasp the mentorposition and I am somewhat glad we got to do itwith this age group because I learned a lot from thisexperience.

Student Mentoring


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Volunteering at Hamilton Urban Core Community Health Centrewas something so simple, yet it impacted me in ways I cannotdescribe. This was honestly an unforgettable experience and Iwould not have had it any other way. Seeing the poverty firsthand just 15 minutes away from my own home was justoutstanding. For my excursion project, this is where myself andfour others decided to volunteer and I think we got way more ouof it than just a simple mark and presentation.

When we arrived we had to start wiping down the tables andsetting up tables and chairs. We then had to start cookingbreakfast but it was when breakfast was being served to those need that really changed me. My role was so simple yet not onperson failed to thank me and remind me of their appreciation. would love to go back and volunteer again at HUC because I

honestly fell in love with the people there. Not once in my lifehave I ever experienced such gratitude over such a simple thin

There are so many things I have learnedfrom this experience and Im so grateful tohave done such. I learned aboutappreciating what you have and not takinganything for granted, how a simple act ofkindness goes such a long way. I loved

every minute of volunteering and itinspired me to volunteer even more andreally get out in my community. I realizedhow much I want to help people and dothis more and more throughout my life.

Hamilton UrbanCore


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Last year I decided to expand my volunteeringexperience and assistant coach with ayounger team at my cheer gym for 2 hourseach and every week along with going tocompetitions with them. Having fourteenbeautiful little girls absolutely look up to youand are so thrilled to see you every week is areward within itself. I love taking the initiativeand teaching something that I personally loveto do to others that just strive to be in myposition.

I try and build a relationship with each andevery one on the team but these girls end upteaching me things as I teach them. They are

such a unique group and I thoroughly enjoymy role and am so grateful I get to see themeach and every week. Now whenever I thinkabout cheerleading I actually have acompletely different mindset. Im not sofocused on being the best team out there, orwinning every competition but simply being apositive role model for these fourteen kids.

As I said, I not only teach them things, theyteach me. Being in this leadership role andworking with all these kids I have learned a lotabout patience and understanding. These littlegirls have also showed me so much hard workand dedication. They are all so focused andmature and I envy their passion andexcitement to improve and learn each andevery week.

Coaching


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After completing the True Colours workshop in Global CONNECT I actuallydiscovered many traits about myself that prove to be true. My personality turned outto be a mix of orange and gold and I actually strongly agree with this. Afterdiscovering these traits about myself I have found that I seem to exaggerate them attimes such as my organizational skills. I think this was a great way to start off theclass so we can all learn about the different types of people and who we would bebest suited to work with.

Finding out what kind of person I amallowed me to find out different peopleI would work efficiently with and getalong with as well as take advantageof the skills I have for this class andthe various projects. According to the

workshop, some attributes that Ipossess include; spontaneous,generous, dependable, organized andstable. Finding this out I now usethese to my advantage and becomemore confident in the person I am andaccept my different strengths andweaknesses.

However, after completing the test again the next year I had a different outcome.I got a three-way tie with blue, orange, and gold. Blues are sought out to be thecaring and compassionate ones, and after completing Global Connect more bluewas brought into my personality, which then became very evident. This simplyproves the impact volunteering and getting involved really has. I believe this testto be very rewarding and useful as I learned things about myself that I wouldnever had even think of.

True ColoursSeminar


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The Together We Create Change conference was a very eye opening andmotivating learning experience for myself. Six students were picked out of my entireschool and I had the privilege to be one of them. We were required to promotestudent involvement, inquiry-based learning, and how students can make hugedifferences. All of which I am very passionate about.

I absolutely loved talking to the elementary school students about what they aredoing around their school and community, and really learning what they arepassionate about in school. It truly inspired me to be a better, more active leaderand I could not believe how much I learned from such young kids. I was greatlyinfluenced and inspired by the positive atmosphere at this event. It was really greatto be apart of.

We had different roles throughout the course of the conference. I loved goingaround to different schools, both elementary and secondary, and seeing the student

involvement there. HWDSB has a great branch of schools and excellent students. Ibelieve it is so important for students to learn from each other and that is definitelysomething I got to do with this conference. No matter the age difference, eachindividual had a passion for change that was so visible and this passion spreadthroughout the entire time being there. I worked and bonded with students from bothmy school and others and it is an experience that has definitely influenced myleadership capabilities.http://www.hwdsb.on.ca/blog/together-we-create-change/

Together We CreateChange Conference


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The Yearbook committee at DVSS is always something that has spiked myinterest but I had never really taken action towards it. Finally this year we had arisk of not having a yearbook at all so I knew it was my time to contribute. I amresponsible for page designs, specifically the graduating class, which is definitelysomething that excites me being a graduate myself.

So far the committee is coming along great and everyone seems to be workingefficiently. We all have the same goals and set deadlines therefore are able towork well together. We have photographers as well and so far our plans andprocesses have been very organized.

Although I am not the leader of the committee I definitely feel like I have taken aleadership responsibility within the group. Being in grade 12 I believe leadershipis a given, whether we recognize it or not students in the school are looking up toeverything we do. Within the committee, it is a majority of grade 12s but there areyounger students as well looking up to what each one of us is doing. Hopefullyutilizing skills they learn to take on leadership roles in their future years, possiblybeing yearbook.

All in all I am looking forward tothe end result of producing afantastic yearbook for the 2015/16

school year. Within this committeeI have not only been practicing bututilizing skills such as timemanagement, organization,planning, and communication.All of which are applicable toeffective leadership.

Yearbook


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The Dundas Community Bottle Drive was such a funand rewarding experience for many others and myself!It was great to see so many close friends of mineshow up and all work together for such a fantastic andrewarding cause. With the bottle drive we were eachgiven a specific route of the Dundas community to,

first, handout letters, and then collect these bottlesand bring them back to the local beer store.

Two others and myself chose to take on three routeswhen collecting the bottles. The entire processseemed to be very organized as some people werecollecting from their routes, others were sorting thebottles at the beer store, while others were bringing

the bottles in to collect the money. Through the entireprocess we collected a total around $900 worth ofbottles in just one day. We decided to split our fundswith some going to Phoenix Women and ChildrensShelter in Hamilton and the rest going back to ourgrad council (the committee of students leading theevent).

All in all I really felt a sense of teamwork with thisevent. It was nice that it was just students from thegraduating class working together for such a greatcause. These charitable events seem to be more ofbonding activities before we part ways which isdefinitely beneficial for us and the community. Id liketo thank grad council for running such a fantasticevent and all the students that made it all worth it!

Dundas CommunityBottle Drive


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As I said, I truly believe that leadership naturally comes with being the oldeststudent in the school. In really any atmosphere, job, team, etc. it is the veterans,the seniors, that are typically looked up to, whether knowing it or not. I havedefinitely found this to be true, coming from both sides of the spectrum. Initiallystarting high school I constantly found myself looking up to the grade 12 students.Now being one myself, and developing the leadership skills I have, I am fullyaware that students in the school are looking up to me and that is definitely notsomething I want to take advantage of.

In my senior year I hope to make an impact, to set the bar for students and be anexample young grade 9s will want to follow. This natural leadership is definitelysomething I will appreciate in my last year at DVSS. We have been blessed withso many outstanding opportunities and it will be bitter sweet to have just one lastyear.

With that being said, we need to make the most out of this last year and that isjust what I hope to do. I hope that myself and others along with me will really set ahigh standard for what itmeans to be a grade 12student at Dundas Valley.Whether its through ourfriendships, skill sets,

learning opportunities, orjust simply enjoying ourfinal year, the DundasValley Graduating Class of2016 will definitely bememorable.

Senior Year


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Something I did throughout a portion of November was volunteer with Dire Woofsin Toronto. Animal justice has always been something that has hit close to homewith me so this experience was not only helpful but also enjoyable. Dire WoofsDog Rescues main goal is to find high-risk dogs who are moments away frombeing euthanized, or are vulnerable to abuse a forever home where they will

receive the love they deserve.

Through my experience I met various rescue dogs and was able to find out wherethey came from. A majority of the dogs were from high kill shelters in the UnitedStates that were found by Dire Woofs many volunteers around the country. Ilearned a lot about the difficulties of owning a non-profit organization from directlyspeaking with the founder Carly Werle and from a backstage look on how theseevents are put together.

During the events I helped with I was essentially dog-sitting so it really did notfeel like volunteering at all! One particular event hosted was a silent auction tofundraise for the incredible work this organization does on a daily basis. It was anincredible feeling seeing one of the dogs looked after, posted on the Facebookpage in their new home.

All in all, throughout this experience I was able to learn a lot from Carly and thedifficulties of founding an organization. However, he passion never stopped and

her leadership abilities are definitely something I aspire to be.

For more information about Dire Woofs please visit http://www.direwoofs.org

Dire Woofs


23/39

The Global Connect program is something I have chosen to pursue aftercompleting the course first semester of eleventh grade and am so glad I chose todo so. This program has definitely been shaping the person I am and who I ambecoming. To graduate as a Global Connect student there are certainrequirements entailed that must be completed and recorded in a booklet.

I have two teacher mentors that are signing for my completion and guiding methrough volunteer work and leadership roles in my school and community. Theysign off after I complete each requirement in my booklet. These include; servicetrip/ volunteer experience, leadership project, a Global Connect based course,and a portfolio such as this one. This program has definitely impacted who I amas a person and leader.

With this program I have been able to learn firsthand the importance ofleadership, giving back, and kindness. The overall slogan of Global Connect is tochoose the difference you want to make and I have definitely been doing so andwill continue to do so. I highly recommend for upcoming students to get involvedwith this course and program as it is truly a life lesson in itself. The skills andexperiences I've developed in Global Connect simply cannot be brought upon astudent just sitting in a classroom. It forces you to get out, learn for yourself,collaborate, and make a huge difference not only in the school, but the communityas a whole. Leadership opportunities are endless for Global Connect students

and it has really instilled the confidence in me to continue taking on theseopportunities in my school, work, and community.

Global CONNECT

Program


24/39

I believe graduating high school to be a huge milestone in anyones life. It isclosing a new chapter but opening up thousands more; a very bitter sweetexperience. Its a time to reflect, express gratitude, but also move on, make lifedecisions and mature; not only as a student but as a person. Graduating highschool will open my doors and push me even more to contribute to the world.Honour my old friends as well as make new, but all in all really take a new step upin life.

I like think of it as simply a bookmark. Taking what I've learned and bringing theminto new chapters, joining with true friendship and revisiting honourable mentors.This bookmark represents all of which I have learned in these past four years atDundas Valley and the experiences that have shaped me as a student, leader,and person.

In all honesty I would not have wanted to graduate from any other school. Thereis definitely something special about DVSS and I believe any previous graduatewould say the same. Graduating this year I was thinking why Dundas is soimportant to me and synthesized it down to simply two things; people andopportunity. These two things are why I am graduating the person I am. Thepeople set an amazing atmosphere, for both staff and students, where everyonehas the opportunity to learn, grow, and reach their full potential. Dundas Valleywas somewhere I could step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself every

single day. My graduation will resemble and reflect upon all of this.

Graduating


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In life one of my goals is to find a program that I am interested in atuniversity for a career of my choice. I want to expand my horizons and getthe best possible education and achieve my full potential. The wholeprocess of choosing, applying, then actually going to university is a hugeexperience that I wish to purse next year.

I have done some previous research as to where I want to go and what Iwant to take. I am interested in being involved in business and taking overand expanding a family business. I hope to do so and wish to receiveeducation needed to be successful as to where I want to go with my careerchoices. I think going to university and choosing what you want to do showsand exemplifies a great deal of independence and opening a new chapter inyour life.

From this experience that I hope to have in the future I think I will be taughtnumerous valuable life lessons. I think I will learn about hard work andchasing after things you want to achieve, independence and self disciplineare two key things I think will also be gained from the overall experience ofgoing to university. Overall I believe this is a great goal to achieve for postsecondary education and will give me and teach me the independence andhard work I need to be able to achieve further goals.

University


26/39

Something I definitely want to do more of is travel. I strongly believe thattravelling is an endless opportunity to learn new things first hand. I loveexperiencing new cultures and customs, seeing the way others live,experiencing new scenery, and so much more.

I have an endless amount of places I would love to go in my life and things Iwish to experience. Travelling really would allow me to gain a differentperspective on life and see how much is out their and what this world has tooffer. I have had travelling experiences so far that have impacted my lifeand I really wish to continue more of this and experience new things.

Overall what I think I will learn through travelling would be just a newperspective on life. There are so many different cultures and customs in this

world that I'm probably not even aware of yet and I would love to learn howothers live.

Travelling


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Relay for Life is an event very dear to my heart as it has a strong correlation withmy grandpa and my best friends cousin both who have lost their battle to cancer.One of my goals as a world changer is to continue this event and make it atradition for my friends and I. I love the morals it teaches and I hope to keepgetting more and more involved with this life changing event.

As of now I am a Relay for Life participant but I want to expand my participation tovolunteering and then maybe even becoming a council member to help organizeand coordinate the entire event. This is something I find so passionate andrelatable and I am so grateful I have wonderful friends to have had taken thischallenge with me and I'm sure we will all grow together in the hopes of improvingand increasing our participation with the event.

I have learned many things from my previous years throughout the event.However, something I think I will learn with increased participation would betogetherness, hope, and overall how powerful we can be when everyone ralliestogether. I think I have seen that throughout the past but if I choose to step in tovolunteer and help plan for the event I think these will be so much more evident.

Continue Relay for Life


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I definitely want to get more involved with PETA and take more of a role as aworld changer especially for animals. I want to be a voice for those whocannot help themselves and really take action to be an animal rights activistto the best of my ability. Currently I sign many petitions and donate money

towards PETA but I want to get involved even more.

I have always had a passion and love for animals but I want to take thispassion farther in my near future. I want to be looked at as a voice for animalsin need. I want to raise money for animal rights and one day when I get myown home I plan to foster animals who do not yet have a home.

However, I do not want to stop just here for helping animals. In my future I

want to volunteer at local shelters, post about PETA and spread the word oftheir amazing efforts and the horrible problems going on in the world involvinganimals. Overall this has always been a passion and something I want to beinvolved with and it is my goal in the future to take this passion as far as Ipossible can.

PETA


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Being the leader of the entire Cancer Awareness Committee was a huge learningexperience for me. Although I have participated in the committee every yearsince grade 9 taking on smaller leadership roles within the committee, this year Istepped up to the plate and took on the entire group while being at two differentcampuses. We ran two assemblies, various fundraisers, bowling, and headshaving just as we did previous years to carry on the great Highland traditions atDVSS.

learned an extensive amount about dealing with different personalities,adjusting to different situations, looking at struggles with a positive attitude, andprioritizing and organizing. Id like to thank my fellow leaders, Reilly Kunc, JordanBoreland, and Victoria Maximov for supporting myself and one another anddeveloping a great committee with me for such a great cause.

The Cancer Awareness Committee is something that is very close to my heartbecause of losing my grandpa to pancreatic cancer. I am proud to have beenapart of this committee throughout my entire high school career and will holdclose the amazing accomplishments and things weve learned. I never thoughthat the shy grade 9 student I was could take leadership over an entire committee

while dealing with two different school locations. I hope to continue having anevident role in the Cancer Awareness Committee in my last year at DVSS.

Leadership Project: CancerAwareness Committee


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Although I displayed CITing/coaching previously in my portfolio, it is somethingthat has truly shaped the person I am. Stepping beside one of my own rolemodels to share my knowledge of the sport I love with so many great kids issomething I had the privilege of doing for just about a year. I dedicated my timeand believe I ve impacted many of those kids lives, even in the smallest way.Finishing my volunteer experience and having their parents and some of themstill message me saying how they miss me or thanking me is something I willalways appreciate.

Cheer Sport Sharks is a program I grew up in, Ive dedicated a huge majority ofmy life to my family there and am the person I am today partly because of that.Volunteering weekly enhanced my leadership skills, especially by being lookedat as a coach or role model to many kids. The passion in such young kids eyes

when they get to do something they love was very inspiring to me. GlobalCONNECT is a program that pushes you to get out in your community and makea difference, and although I may not have did it in a very common way, I believeI have impacted many of the kids in a positively, just as they did for me.

Although I am not cheering anymore I still visit as much as I can and am greetedwith many hugs and many smiles. Seeing these kids reach their goals and go onto so many amazing things, tell me how school is going, and truly look at me as

a role model is something I find truly amazing.

Service Experience:CITing


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reaking out of you

comfort zone is the

pathway to growth

Personal Manifestoand Pathway Plan


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Choose your own happiness

This is truly something I strive to live by each and every day. I believe we live bychoice, not by chance. True happiness does not come from simply being lucky, itcomes from making a choice to live life, accept the person you are, look atstruggles and hardships as learning opportunities and basically just take what life

throws at you with a positive attitude.

This manifesto definitely took me at least my time in high school to figure out andI am very thankful for GPP, BOH, and the Global CONNECT program in allowingme to do so. I have developed skills that will stick with me forever, confidence thatI can take on my future, and proof that happiness is a choice to be made, the bestone youll ever make. I've surrounded myself with amazing people in an amazingschool and will never forget what many of my peers and mentors have done forme when I think of this personal manifesto.

I will forever look back on my high school years and how Ive matured, and willalways be proud to graduate as a Global CONNECT student. This manifesto willallow me to shape my life, reach my goals, and give me the confidence andhappiness to change the world!

Personal Manifesto


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Looking into the future is definitely something that both excites me and scares me, butafter completing the Global CONNECT program along with the course and BusinessLeadership there is no doubt in my mind that I can change the world. A priority for myfuture years is going to university. I have narrowed down my choices to Laurier, Guelph,and McMaster for either business or communications. Toth, Global CONNECT, andBusiness Leadership are very accountable for these discovered passions. Right now Ibelieve Laurier to be my number one school, having many study abroad programs and

being the number one school for student volunteering in the world is something thatdefinitely appeals to a Global CONNECT student like myself. A goal of mine is to spendmy second or third year of university in Australia. This is something I believed to only bea dream but after looking at various universities and discovering all the possibilities, Iam thrilled to see this dream become attainable.

One thing I will continue to do, thanks to who Ive become, is volunteer. I want to alwaysbe seen as someone who gives back as well as work hard for what I have. I will

approach life with open arms and a different attitude then the shy, nervous grade nine Iwas years ago and I can honestly say that I owe it to Global CONNECT and BusinessLeadership. A goal of mine to end with is very general but it is simply that whatever Ichose to do, I do with passion. I want to engage myself in what I want to study, continueto grow and learn, meet new people, visit different places, and referring back to mypersonal manifesto, choose to be happy and choose to give back.

Pathway Plan


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Looking back so that the view

looking forward is

even clearer

Reflections


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We dont learn by just doing,we learn by reflecting onwhat weve done

I can honestly say that Global Connect has not only changed me as a student,but also as a person. I handle stress better, I empathize the thoughts andfeelings of others, and I feel like I have become a more understanding person asa whole. I have discovered that helping others is a passion of mine and I dontthink I would have been able to discover this so evidently without taking thisclass. The leadership opportunities I was faced with were countless but Ienjoyed every minute of it and really learned how to challenge myself. Anotherthing that was very evident to me was how much I learned from my peers. It was

such an effective teaching style and really encouraged all of us to beindependent and face problems with responsibility and respect. My views notonly changed on world issues but also on what it truly means to be a leader andencouraged me to want to be a role model for others and live my life by treatingpeople with nothing but kindness and respect and overall just being a happy,grateful, and hard working person.

However, thats simply just from completing the class, carrying on the programopened my eyes and allowed me to gain so much more. I had certain

requirements including: a Leadership Project (running a committee in theschool), Service Experience (volunteering consecutively), incorporating the skillsof Global Connect into others courses, and so much more. This programedshaped a lot of who I am today. I learned the value of others from all differentwalks of life, how to challenge myself and take action in the world, and how oneperson can make the biggest difference. These are all attributes I will hold veryclose and continue to grow on outside of high school.

GPP Reflection


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This course was incredibly moving and developing as a person, student,and leader. The structure and content made me feel prepared and ready to

challenge myself in my future studies and really take risks in the classroom.Our class seemed to develop as more of a team breaking off into smallerones for each round. The way everyone uplifted, supported, andencouraged one another was something I never thought to experience in auniversity level business course.

Mr. Toth acted as a mentor, not a teacher that simply stood in front of achalkboard each and every day. He encouraged us to learn from each otherand gave us the freedom, creativity, and skill sets to do so. I formed new

friendships, strengthened previous ones and really put my leadership to thetest on a daily basis.

Business leadership also strengthened my skills not only used for otherclasses but life in general. I am now very organized, able to manage mystress, and can pin point my strengths and capabilities. None of which Ithought I could learn and develop all in one class. All in all, I had such apositive experience and strongly encourage future Dundas Valley seniors totake this class, whether wanting to be involved with business or not.

BOH Reflection


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I truly cannot even put into words how much I have developed as aleader and the gratitude I have towards the people that helped to get mehere. I used to believe leadership was something so unattainable but

have discovered first hand that it can be demonstrated through thesimplest of acts each and every day.

Leadership is everything and I am so thankful to learn the skills I needand already have to be better and better each day. My leadershipcapabilities are something I will take with me for the rest of my life andwill truly never forget. I love the fact that it can be applied to virtuallyanything and these skills contribute to success. It is something I

experienced first hand thanks to business leadership and my volunteerexperiences.

Comparing myself to the shy ninth grade girl I once was to who I amnow there is a world of a difference. My leadership qualities havestrengthened and developed to shape the person I am and will continueto do so. A huge part about leadership is self awareness and that wassomething that was difficult for me to build up throughout my

experience. Understanding your personal values, I believe, is the firststep to self-awareness. A leaders personal values may be one of themost important determinants of how your power is exercised orconstrained. All in all I would not have developed into the leader I amwithout having valuable mentors, friends, and experiences that havemolded my attitudes and efforts.

Leadership Reflection


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Something I have learned firsthand to be extremely powerful in life is expressing gratitudeand simply saying thank you, so that is just what I will do. I would really like to thank Mr. DelSordo for being such an outstanding principal. Thank you for allowing all that we do in theschool to go on and always lend a helping hand no matter how busy you are. You are suchan inspiration and just talking to you, one can see how much of an advocate you are forsocial change and that definitely impacted the work I did within the school. Whenever I sawyou and had the privilege to speak and meet with you to organize an event, assembly, orattend a conference, your enthusiasm towards student involvement pushed so many kidsorward and it was so nice to see. I am so grateful I attended Dundas Valley and theatmosphere you set there.

Moreover, Id like to thank each and everyone of my teachers. No matter what course, Ihave always had a positive relationship with the Dundas Valley teachers and staff. Thankyou for the skills I have acquired, the lessons Ive learned, and the passions I'vediscovered.

Also, I really believe I owe a lot to Mr. Toth. Thank you for never giving up on me, and

always believing in me. Entering into high school scared and afraid with very littleconfidence, I would never imagine to meet a teacher who saw such a spark in me that I didnot believe I had. I was treated as a friend rather than a student who simply just needs toknow the curriculum, and from that moment I knew I found a new role model. You sawhings in me I simply couldn't and from the minute I was in your class you immediatelyempowered me. From then I was lucky enough to have many courses with you teachingand can fairly say that you have shaped a huge part of the person I am today. You have notonly inspired me to get involved with your many contributions to the school and communitybut you have also shaped me as a leader by consistently pushing me to challenge myself,

ake action, and set examples for others. With all you have done for me I really dont everhink I can thank you enough.

Thank you to each one of my friends and family. I would be no where without these positiverelationships. I truly believe that you are only as good as the people you surround yourselfwith and I have been so blessed to surround myself with such great people. All in all, Ibelieve it is so important to acknowledge what those have done for you and show gratitudeo each individual. Thank you all for shaping my high school experience and influencing the

person I am today.

Thank You


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Jordyn Usselman Portfolio.pdf

Documents

Transcript of Jordyn Usselman Portfolio.pdf