(WARNING: This blog post may seem self-serving and, well…it might be. 😊 )
This past month, FSU’s Center for College Life Coaching celebrated its 10th anniversary! That’s right – coaches have been supporting student success here for ten years! If you’re thinking, “How?!?”, then you can check out an excellent blog post on the evolution of coaching by FSU’s senior most coach – Shae Roberts – here. For this blog post, I want to focus on our recent celebration – Coaching Week 2019; so sit back, relax, maybe put on a party hat if you have one, and share in our celebration!
Coaching Week began with an open house for FSU staff and faculty in coaching’s main office in WJB. To share our students’ success with campus partners, we invited former coaching students to attend as ambassadors; and, if you visit the office, you’ll see posters highlighting a few of those students’ stories. Coach Roly Torres said, “The College Life Coaching open house event was a huge success that allowed students and staff alike to learn more about the impact that our work does and how to get connected with us.”
Mid-week, we celebrated with students by hosting a festival on Landis Green. We had the three things needed to draw a crowd – free food, games, and prizes; and nearly 300 students participated! Coach Flan Wickham said, “The Landis Event was a huge success. We were able to connect with 298 students about what coaching is, our new walk in hours, and how we have been here for a whopping ten years! Thank you to all who helped make the event happen.”
Coaching Week ended with a staff reunion and appreciation event for all past and present coaches at FSU’s Rez. One former coach even came all the way from South Florida to celebrate! Part of our celebration included reflection – we were asked to consider what we did or will take with us from coaching as well as what we did or will leave behind as a coach. Here’s what some people said…
“As a coach from the pilot + first year…I left a legacy to figure it out! – how do we do this coaching thing in the best way to support students?”
“It was an honor to serve as 1 of the first coaches for CARE. I left a legacy of empowering students to take advantage of every opportunity!! This experience has served as the foundation to my career!!”
“I hope to leave behind the legacy of knowing that I can truly change someone’s life through empathy and understanding.”
“I hope to leave behind a legacy of fun, good times, and genuine care of students. What we do is powerful, it should be enjoyable too!”
“My legacy will be my passion for supporting students as they figure out life, and empowering coaches to be a great coach and pursue greatness in all areas of their life.”
So here’s to another decade of coaching at FSU, and maybe even beyond!
Some of the people who’ve made coaching’s ten years of student support possible (and maybe some future coaches 😉 ).
About the writer:
Hannah Byrd is currently a Senior College Life Coach at FSU. Her favorite place in Tallahassee is Maclay Gardens State Park and her favorite aspect of Coaching is “When students feel safe to be whoever they are and feel supported in whatever they’re going through.”
advisingfirstblog.wordpress.com 