Janine Brooks
Candidate for Student Representative, High Plains Region
Master’s Candidate, University of Nebraska at Omaha
Kappa Gamma Chapter
Expected Date of Graduation: May 2012
Year Inducted: 2009
Positions, other memberships, offices, etc., currently or recently held:
Associate Student Representative, High Plains Region, Sigma Tau Delta
Secretary, Alphabet Soup Kids (ASK), Inc. (an advocacy/family support organization in Nebraska)
Past Secretary, Family Advocacy Movement (advocacy group for disabled in Nebraska)
In no more than 500 words, explain why you are running for office and comment on any skills, experience, or personal qualities you possess that would contribute to your performing the following duties: promoting communication among chapters, producing official publications, assisting your Regent, serving on the Student Leadership Committee:
Greetings—
You start out by presenting a paper in front of a small audience of peers. Your palms are sweaty and your eyelids twitch, and you can almost hear the tinge of a quiver in that suddenly weakened voice. Afterward, you manage to squeak out the answers to a few questions. It is later in the conference when someone approaches you to compliment you on that paper you read that your confidence truly grows. Eventually, you move on to new commitments with larger audiences, but sometimes you want more.
That appears to be the case with me. I confess to presenting several papers at a few conferences and admit that the experience has helped me to grow considerably as a person improving not only my public speaking and leadership skills within Sigma Tau Delta, but also in the community to which I live.
My past experiences in leadership have been more on the public sector; presently I serve as a board member to Alphabet Soup Kids (ASK) and I advocate for the needs of autistic adults needing services in the state of Nebraska. Within Sigma Tau Delta, I currently serve as the Associate Student Representative to the High Plains Region. Over the last twelve months I have worked with Michelle Webb (our present SR) to help build the Fall and Spring newsletters, then prepare them for publication. I have also been active on the Facebook newsfeed page posting links to relevant news articles and such.
I am a graduate student at the University of Nebraska at Omaha studying English, Early British Literature. My intentions are to graduate with a M.A. in Spring 2012. I have met most of the graduate requirements, and am presently focused on earning certificates in both advanced and technical writing.
The biggest problem we have in the High Plains region has to do with communication. Except for a few letters sent out to the chapter presidents, there is little that seems to be said among ourselves. We are English people, part of our culture is to write – I say we need a discussion board on Sigma Tau Delta’s Facebook page. This allows for us to communicate better about what is happening in our chapters and allows for us to get to know each other better while satisfying that ‘English’ desire to write.
You will probably encounter me in one way or another helping at the conference. Alongside Andrew Moser, I presented “Web Tools” in the Student Leadership Workshop. I hope to stay busy through the conference contributing my time where needed as per my duties as Associate Student Representative.
Next year the adventure is down south in New Orleans, LA. It will be an amazing time as we all parade down the streets with the saints. Make me part of that number and have me represent you on the board as your Student Representative helping to plan another successful conference, serving as your voice on the board in its meetings.
Sincerely,
Janine M. Brooks
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