At Your Service…
Today brought us an interesting opportunity that no previous Innovation Symposium group has been able to experience. We volunteered to assist Andrew Potter, Harlaxton’s Head Gardener (yes, that’s really his name), in potting several plants and sprucing up the Conservatory for a wedding tomorrow. Though the students have been exhausted by what they consider to be Karla’s force-march across Britain (a good argument for more P.E. in schools or perhaps a commendation for little old gray-haired English teachers who can still walk the walk), they participated willingly. When Andrew opened the large boxes of small plants–each plant wrapped in newspaper and bound with a rubber band–they converged like ants on sugar and set to work. It was fun to watch them sort out the duties and move with the precision of a team–exactly what they are becoming. They didn’t even shy away from setting up the gazebo. Let me tell you what this indicates about this group:
1. They are willing to serve. We saw that on Day 1 when Nurse Ann, only three days post-graduation, raced across three lanes of very busy London traffic to aid a cyclist hit by a car on Westminster Bridge. We saw that when Cast-iron Greg (ask him about the octupi occupying his seafood pasta) hoisted cases onto the train–not just for our group. We saw it when Norma offered her translation abilities in the hotel in London so that some travelers from Spain could get the help they needed from the concierge. We see it again and again and again in each of these IS members.
2. They take initiative. Now that these students are getting their “England legs” and are beginning to feel comfortable in their temporary home, they are stepping up. We saw that early with Megan’s pre-departure creation of small itinerary booklets, personalized for each of us. We saw it from Brandie’s observant action when she noticed that a currency exhanger was charging the group an excessive service fee–and the negotiations began. We saw that in the band (Nicole, Justin, Toni, Anne, and Geny) that braved Sainsbury’s to buy groceries for the rest of the crew so that the others could rest. We see it in so many daily actions from everyone in the group.
3. They care about how they are representing themselves, the university, and the IS. These folks have passion for making the world a better place, and they want to do that in all of the right ways. They are also representing our two previous IS groups well; just as with those two groups, everyone wants to spend more time with them, and everyone is glad they came to England. They have the Watling glasses from John and the Royal Navy gear from Brendan to prove it!
I got to say hello to tomorrow’s bride. She was so pleased that our group was helping to pot the flowers that will be part of her wedding photos. She very quickly added, “We also have some American friends coming to the ceremony tomorrow,” clarifying that she had already established a connection between our students, her friends, and in essence all things American, and that the connection left an extremely positive impression on her. As John and Marsha Rae Ratcliff remind us, it’s all about establishing relationships and making those connections. Indeed. These students are on their way!
