EMBRACING CHALLENGES: A JOURNEY OF LEADERSHIP AND RESILIENCE

Hello Hivers, it's me again @queeniemary with a new blog. This month of 2024 has been a month full of blessings for me, despite the many problems, I firmly believe that God is good.
From January 23-25, our school, Cebu Technological University, conducted leadership training for all students, including myself, as a college student. This training aims to help students build their confidence, perseverance, and unity, and develop a leadership personality, which are all crucial qualities for us.

DAY 1 OF OUR LEADERSHIP TRAINING

_{My Team (catfish) I ask this picture from my friend}

On the first day of training, we were assigned to form a group. The name of our group is "PANTAT" or in English "catfish".I had assumed that we would only have an orientation and some simple activities, as it was just the beginning. I did not anticipate that the day's activities would be challenging. They blindfolded us, and all we could see was darkness. They made us crawl with obstacles around us. It was so tough that my knees hurt a lot and I could not stand up straight. Just when I thought it was over, they blindfolded us again and put us in a room. I could sense that the lights were off. They played creepy music and told us to find our groups while still blindfolded. I was terrified at the time, but I realized that I had to face my fears, which is why I joined the training.

SOME GLIMPSE OF OUR TRAINING

_{We were blindfolded. I asked my classmates for the pictures because I didn't have any.}

On the first night of our training, I was shocked because they blindfolded us again. My eyes were hurting a lot because we had been doing blindfolding activities from morning to evening. In the evening, they had us walk blindfolded to our next destination. I think it was around 8:00 PM. What shocked me even more was when they made us crawl in the mud and sprayed us with water. It was so cold, and imagine, we were wearing white T-shirts, because we weren't allowed to wear colored ones. So, our white T-shirts turned brown. It was quite funny.

SOME GLIMPSE OF OUR DIRTY T-SHIRT

_{Our dirty t-shirt}

DAY 2 OF THE TRAINING

On the second day, we were relieved because we were finally not going to be blindfolded again. However, they made us walk from our school to the ocean. As we walked, our skin was burning from the sun, but we still persevered. When we arrived at the ocean, many challenging activities were waiting for us.
First, they made us crawl in the sand and eat an apple. It was difficult because the apple didn't taste good; they had soaked it in seawater. After that, they made us swim in an ocean that was full of dirt and mixed with canal water. We had to complete the task of retrieving bottles from the ocean.
There were many challenging activities they made us do. Some of us surrendered, but I always told my team that we had to survive and fulfill the tasks.

THE MOST CHALLENGING ACTIVITY

_{More challenging activities}

DAY 3 "A DAY TO REMEMBER"

Finally, it's the last day of our training. Early in the morning, we went to the venue for our awarding ceremony after three days of intense training. I feel so excited and grateful for the experience. Before the awarding, we performed our final task, an interpretative performance. It was not seen as a competition, but rather as a chance to showcase our skills and have fun.

INTERPRETATIVE PERFORMANCE

_{This picture was taken of me by my friend.}

After the performance, we proceeded to the awarding ceremony. I was overjoyed when we were announced as the 3rd place overall. I never expected that we would achieve such a ranking, considering the number of talented teams present. To my surprise, my name was called, and I was awarded "The Best Team Leader." I never anticipated receiving this award, especially with so many other outstanding leaders in the competition. I give it all to God as a tribute to His goodness.

_{Some of our selfies}

During the training, I had the opportunity to meet many friends from higher levels. We supported each other through the enjoyable and challenging moments. I learned a great deal about effective leadership, understanding that perseverance, humility, and listening to others' suggestions are essential qualities for a leader. Although the training was tough and tiring, I genuinely enjoyed the experience.
I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in this training program as it will greatly benefit my personal growth and future endeavors.

_{Me and my Friends}
How about you? Have you ever attended any leadership training programs or workshops? Feel free to share your experiences or any other topics you'd like to discuss. I'm here to listen.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I hope you enjoy it, and I kindly ask for your support on this journey. Stay tuned for my next blog. God bless you all.