Arizona Blue Chip Program

(♫ opening music ♫)
Danielle: The Arizona Blue Chip program is a 4 year, co-curricular educational leadership experience
Amanda: It's a program to guide you through leadership development
Discovering what leadership is, what leadership is to you, and how you can apply it to life and in college.
Danielle: It's co-curricular instead of extra-curricular, and by that I mean we take leadership classes.
Chris: The Arizona Blue Chip program is one of top programs in the nation.
The thing that really distinguishes it from other leadership programs is it allows you to tailor your own experiences
as you start into it.
Dan: It consists of four phases, and five themes.
Each phase is a year.
Danielle: Five themes are arts, eco, social entrepreneurship, service and global.
Dan: The mission is building leaders who make a difference.
Danielle: And the core values are excellence, service, integrity and diversity.
Student: And the four core values are incorporated into every activity, lesson and event that we do in Blue Chip.
Student: Incoming freshmen specifically are targeted because it is a four year program.
Dan: Anyone can take part in Blue Chip Program.
Kyle: I came in as a Junior technically.
Brett: I really wasn't expecting anything. I was just joining a club to get my parents off my back.
Dan: My mom signed me up for it.
Chris: When I was in high school I was involved in a lot of leadership activities.
I honestly didn't think I was going to gain as much from this program as I have
Danielle: I expected to learn a lot about leadership, but what I DIDN'T expect was
the amount that it would change my life and the amount that it would, grow me as a person and as a leader.
Brett: I just ended up just falling in love with it. There's a lot to get out of it.
Chris: A lot of what we've been training and learning in the program has been translated out to the rest of the University.
Danielle: It's given me a lot of confidence that's come out through all the other activities that I've
been involved with on campus, as well as my academics.
Amanda: I was a team leader... and I shall be a teaching assistant.
Brett: The more became involved, the more I found good people, and found out what I started to love, and pretty much found myself.
Danielle: Think of things you want out of college, and come talk to somebody in Blue Chip, and I'm pretty they can
tell you that they've gotten that out of Blue Chip.
Dan: I really love the experience that I've had, and all the relationships that I've built and friends that I've made.
Danielle: A lot of times people get stuck with their certain majors, or in their residence halls or something
and so being in Blue Chip is really nice because you get to meet all different types of people.
Dan: From, like, doing socials, to leadership activities to just hanging out in the Blue Chip area.
Danielle: Some place I can go when I'm having a bad day, or when I have some exciting news.
Brett: They're awesome, they're fun people. I always come up here and I'm just like 'grumble, grumble, grumble',
And I come in to like (hipitch impersation) 'HEY! How's it GOING?!' Usually a little less squeaky, but...
Danielle: There's HUNDREDS of lessons I've learned throughout my four years at Blue Chip, but they
each helped me in growing as a person.
Announcer: If you want anything to happen in the world, it starts with you. It starts with what you do
Within yourself, your immediate environment.
Danielle: I knew I made the right decision to join Blue Chip, when in my sophomore year I lived in Pima Lodge.
Chris: Sometimes they'll have halls for specific majors and things like that, it's just our general living, learning leadership area.
Amanda: There are always other Blue Chip students. The other residents that you live with are Blue Chip students.
A lot of events, Blue Chip related, happens at Pima, as well as to help bring that connection.
Danielle: I just absolutely loved it. I made tons of friends, that I am still friends with today.
(♫ Australian Didgeredoo)
Amanda: I did the study abroad portion of Blue Chip, so I went to the University of Wollongong in Australia, for a semester.
That was the best decision that I've made. It allowed me to go out of my comfort zone. I had never traveled before on my own.
But I wanted that diversity, I wanted to see leadership in a different perspective.
There's issues in a different country, obviously, versus what we focus on here in the United States.
Being able to see that really had an impact on me.
At the present day, I developed a really strong friendship with them now. And I plan on going back to visit.
The surprising thing about my experience is how much I learned about myself. About how much Blue Chip is really important to me.
Brett: I've discovered myself as a stronger leader and everything, and I'm not afraid to take charge now.
Chris: I learned that I'm a lot more social then I thought I was.
In high-school, I wasn't exactly the person who would get up and start talking to people.
I'm gonna be a team-leader next semester, and honestly coming into this program, and coming into college,
I never really thought I would be up to doing something like that.
Kyle: I have the ability to put together a presentation, and deliver it.
Dan: It's given me the skills to become a leader, and to know when to take what leadership role.
Amanda: It helped me to do my own core values, and the things that I personally think are important, and carry that on my with my everyday life.
Danielle: I know that I know how to lead better, I understand, you know, that it's not just always just a position.
Chris: The things that I've learned in this program, and just the knowledge and skills that I've gained over the past two years,
haven't just stayed in this program.
Danielle: I think a lot of people think leadership is like 'Oh, I'm the president of a club'...
Leadership is a science, and a study, and not just an action.
Amanda: Leadership is progress, that isn't something where you're going to wake up someday and be like 'Oh, I'm a leader'.
Danielle: I think what I would want students to know, is to trust the process.
And I one hundred percent assure them that it will turn out wonderful, and you will get a ton out of it.
Dan: You'll hear a lot of people say 'Oh, it's really cheesy', but whatever you put into Blue Chip is what you get out.
Danielle: Because I put so much in, I've actually gotten a ton back as well.
Chris: Definitely you get out what you put in. And as much as you put in, you'll get out in experience,
skills, and just overall knowledge, that it won't stay in the program but will expand out as a whole.
Dan: it's looked highly upon in resumes and stuff, and there's a lot of serious times and learning put into it, but
when it comes down to it, it's just a really fun thing to be a part of.
Danielle: Throughout college it's helped me, because it's always been a community that I've belonged to on campus.
Amanda: Blue Chip was really important to me, keeping me connected to Campus. It gave me a way of feeling involved in something
other than academics. Feeling like I had a group of people I could always hang out with and turn to.
Danielle: Somewhere that I've just formed all these great friendships and mentors,
and people that I really look up to.
Dan: And, it's just so much fun, going out with a group of friends, doing community service, and then going out
and getting pizza after when you're done.
So, it's just...a great day.
Danielle: So, just put in time to come to your weekly meeting, and to really have a positive attitude.
Brett: A positive attitude is pretty much everything.
Danielle: Everyone should join and at least give it a try.
Dan: Join Blue Chip, it's one of the best experiences that you'll have in your life.
Brett: Blue Chip rules!
Danielle: I love Blue Chip! (laughter)
(♫ credits ♫)
(♫ student singing and playing guitar ♫)
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