HDF 190:

FIRST YEAR LEADERS INSPIRED TO EXCELLENCE

LEADERSHIP PORTFOLIO

Jake Clarke
SPRING 2016

jake_clarke@my.uri.edu
Section 001 Professor Melissa Boyd-Colvin
TA: Hannah Ritchie
April 28th, 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Strengths

Slide 3

Opening Statement
Section 1: Self Leadership
Section 2: Leadership Theories
Section 3: Inclusive Leadership
Section 4: Critical Thinking
Section 5: Interpersonal/Organizational Leadership

Slide 4
Slide 5
Slide 7
Slide 9
Slide 11
Slide 13

*If you do not have one outcome from each area of the Inventory completed,
you may opt to choose 2 from one of the sections.

Signature Strengths
Includer
Adaptability
Positivity
Futuristic
Ideation

Values in Action Strengths

Fairness
Judgement
Prudence
Creativity
Kindness

OPENING STATEMENT
I learned a lot about who I am and how I work in this class,
but I think the most important lesson I learned was that a
leader is not someone in charge, it is someone who sets
an example which is what I aim to do everyday using my
strengths and values.

SECTION 1
SELF LEADERSHIP

Outcome 3 : Student will demonstrate the ability

to manage emotions
Target Class: Theatre 112

By studying my own scene in my Theatre 112 class, as well as my fellow classmates I have been able to
appreciate and observe in greater detail the way characters interact in a real way. I recently was told that
acting is reacting to real life situations and when I study these scenes and form opinions on the believability
of an actors emotional reaction I tend to take these observations into my life outside of class. By studying
emotional reactions on stage I am able to rationalize and think through my own emotions to make sure they
are appropriate and fit whatever situation I am in.

Evidence:
An image of me prior to the physical comedy bit

SECTION 2
Leadership Theory and Models

Outcome 46: Student will show knowledge of

the Social Change Model of Leadership
Development by Astin et al.
Target class: HDF 190

The Social Change Model of Student Leadership is a model that focuses on three different parts of change. These three include
individual change, group change, and society/community change. First is the individual change which begins with having an
understanding of self-values, beliefs, and strengths. Second is the group which is made of the individuals and their own personal
beliefs. Lastly is society / community which is, in a way, groups of groups. These three concepts follow an ebb and flow of each other
because they create a constant loop. An individual can change a group and in turn this group can change an entire community or a
different individual and so on. Within each of the three parts of the model there are 7 Cs that are divided into each of the categories.
For example, in society / community there is only one C which is Citizenship. Citizenship implies that any leader who follows the
social change model can understand that within a societal change there is a necessity for social responsibility and kindness, as is the
definition of citizenship. Next is the group level which has three Cs they are, Collaboration, Common Purpose, and Controversy
with Civility. In a group, Collaboration is essential due to the fact that proper communication can allow for insightful conversations
which can progress an entire group towards changing. Having a Common Purpose is a large aspect of this model due to the fact that
by having an entire group agree with the way they want to initiate change it allows for a larger effort to work towards the common
goal. The last C in group is Controversy with Civility and while it would be ideal to have all group members agree on the Common
Purpose, it is important to keep in mind that individuals are not all the same in their beliefs which then makes for different ideas of
how to effectively make change. The Civility within the Controversy is a very important part of this C because by being civil it allows
for fluent conversations rather than heated tempers and possible screaming matches which benefit no one when working on an effort
to make a change. Lastly are the three Cs of the individual; Consciousness of Self, Congruence, and Commitment. Consciousness of
Self is the ability to be in touch with oneself and to understand who the individual is as their own person. Congruence is when an
individuals actions reflect what they belief or in other words, they practice what they preach. Finally, the secret eighth C is Change
itself which encompasses the entire model in itself.

Evidence:
Course Pack pages 28-30

SECTION 3
Inclusive Leadership / Diversity and its application to leadership

Outcome 82: Student will describe personal examples of being a change

agent.
Target Class: N/a

My freshman year was a pivotal year for me because I came into my shell more that year than I had in any other
time of my life. My biggest accomplishment was coming to terms with my sexuality and finally coming out as gay. I
had kept my secret from everyone I knew up until a month prior coming to school when I told two friends from back
home and my sister, when I came to school I went to the Leadership Institute the first weekend and told my group
about my sexuality and from there on, anyone I met at school I was open with about my sexuality. The next step,
which was also the hardest was telling my parents. I knew from a young age that my mother would be supportive of
my sister and I no matter who we loved or who we were so it was not so much her I was worried about as much as
my father who quite honestly, was a homophobe. The night I told my father was the night I became an agent of
change. If I am to refer to the social change model, I began an individual change in my father by questioning his
beliefs with my identity. Since coming out to him, he has been making strides towards understanding and accepting
who I, and the entire LGBT community, are. I began a change in him that allowed me to live as freely at my fathers
house as I did on campus. This small change in my father has made him much more sensitive to the topic of
homosexuality and in turn he has begun to take his new found understanding to his friends and family who are all in
a similar mindset about the whole thing and he has started to be an advocate for change in small dosages at a
time. As of the 27th of April, when I am writing this outcome, my biggest stride with my father was a week ago when I
finally told him that I had a boyfriend

Evidence:
A screen shot of my relationship status on Facebook

SECTION 4
Critical Thinking

Outcome 89: Student will demonstrate proficiency of critical thinking.

Target Class: HDF 190
Additional Experience: Theatre 300 (Legally Blonde the Musical

Thinking critically is an essential to being an actor, it is important because when reading scripts and
analyzing scenes it helps me understand how the situation will or should play out. In Legally Blonde the
musical my character, Warner Huntington, is a villain of sorts and there were many ways I interpreted his
character. Initially I pictured him as a sarcastic jerk, this changed the dynamic of many scenes but this
dynamic was not what the show was supposed to feel like, it distracted from the peppiness of the show and
made scenes darker than they were supposed to be so I felt the need to rethink my character. I spent a lot of
time rereading the script and reevaluating my characters decisions and actions. After a while it began to click
that he was not in fact a sarcastic / rude archetype but more of a shallow / charming type of character. As
rehearsals progressed my director, Paula McGlasson, began to commend me for the apparent strides I
made with my character. My ability to think critically when reading scripts or analyzing characters allows for
me to make a performance more authentic and saturated with truth.

Evidence:
A news article about my performance from the Newport Mercury

SECTION 5
(Interpersonal and Organizational Concepts and Skills)

Outcome 100: Student will describe examples of using active listening

Target Class: Theatre 112
Additional Experience: Theatre 301

Here is a pro-tip to acting; while your lines are just as important as everyone elses when performing, there is no certainty that you will deliver
your lines correctly if you do not pay attention to how another character feels, looks and most importantly, speaks. A lesson I have learned
from acting that I have been able to apply to my real life is that if you are not paying full attention to what is being said and how things are
being said, there is a likely chance that you can misinterpret someones message which then can cause you to say your next line without any
regard to what has been said and to what a fitting response would be. In a real life application, this would be practically the same thing but,
instead of delivering a line with the wrong inflection, you could kill a real conversation. This semester I was given a scene in my acting class
from Angels in America by Tony Kushner and as part of that scene I had a scene partner. The scene that I was given was rather complex for a
freshman just beginning theatre studies but as my scene partner and I rehearsed this scene there was no connection between us and it was quite
apparent but we were not quite sure why. We figured that when we performed the scene the connection would just appear. When we took our
scene to the stage for our professor and classmates to watch we got a lot of feedback about how our scene was not quite where it needed to be
and my professor mentioned that we should be sure to try and listen to each other and react that way rather than having a rehearsed reaction.
The next time my partner and I met we began to truly listen to what each others characters were saying before saying our next lines, so in
other words we were actively listening to each other. By the next time we performed the scene my professor told us that the improvements we
made were tremendous and that the scene seemed so much more honest because of the work we put in so that we were listening to each other
rather than solely reciting lines to each other. I have begun to use this in my day to day life, when meeting new people and asking them about
themselves I like to truly listen, give affirmation that I am listening and respond with comments or questions that do not create the same
disconnect I had in my scene for my acting class. I also began to use this in the shows I have been in since specifically, Legally Blonde. I have
been able to improve my line delivery by listening to what other characters have to say.

Evidence:
A copy of my marked up script from Angels in America