UTK orientation

Paul, Chaney, and I spent Monday and Tuesday on campus at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville for freshman/parent orientation. When I attended UT's orientation as an incoming freshman in the summer of 1982, I was enthralled with the Student Orientation Assistants (SOAs) and aspired to become one myself. When I saw the flyers posted around campus announcing SOA interviews midway through my freshman year, I seized the opportunity. I was absolutely thrilled when I learned that I was one of 22 students - 11 girls and 11 guys - who had been chosen to work during the summer of 1983. I was one of the fortunate few SOAs who was able to be a repeater, serving again in 1984. That summer a young man named Paul Swiney was also chosen to be an SOA. We got engaged the following January and were married in October 1985.

As I observed the current batch of Orientation Leaders (SOAs are now called OLs) at UTK this week, I recalled just how formative my orientation experiences had been. Our orientation director, Debby Shriver, was an exceptional leader who inspired confidence and empowered students to use their gifts and talents. As an SOA, I learned how to plan events, how to convey dry information in a creative way, how to speak in front of adults and teenagers, how to keep a smile on your face even when you are exhausted, how to work with people with widely divergent personalities, and how to be flexible.

During my tenure as an SOA, Debby recruited me to serve as a student representative on the board of directors of the National Orientation Directors Association (NODA). I was able to make trips to Burlington, Vermont, Portland, Oregon, and Baltimore, Maryland, to attend NODA meetings. I also attended Southern Regional Orientation Workshops in Atlanta and St. Louis, and accompanied Debby to The Freshman Year Experience conference in Columbia, South Carolina.

I continue to use the skills I acquired as an SOA on a daily basis. I am grateful to Debby and to the University of Tennessee at Knoxville for giving me the opportunity to develop my leadership skills. I've said it before and I'll say it again: It's great to be a Tennessee Vol!