“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Mead
Service is an integral part of my definition of leadership. Being a leader involves reaching out to the community and asking how you can serve those that you work with. As one expects to serve others through their leadership, they must be willing to form community partnerships and be adaptable to the needs of the community. During my time in LEAD, I have been able to grow as a service coordinator and learn how I can continue to support others in my community.
Lisa, Caitlin, and I at the 3rd Annual Godwin School InCredAble Conference.
For my first two years as a Leadership Consultant, I have been assigned to develop community service opportunities for the L-TEAM with a fellow consultant. This program piece has helped me continue to grow and understand how our L-TEAM members contribute to the community around them. Some of the groups we have worked with are the Domestic Violence Action Center, Dreams for Kids, KEEN, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
One part of being a leader is accepting feedback and learning from others as you continue to serve the community. During my junior year, someone explained the importance of developing strong community partners with me and I spent this past year working with other offices, such as Social Action and Integrative Learning (SAIL), to understand how LEAD can contribute more sustainable service. As we continue to grow as an organization and a department, it is important that we are serving in a way that does not create an unfulfilled dependency in our fellow communities.
I also took NCLC 404: Ethics & Leadership as a part of my Leadership Minor in the Spring 2015 semester. During this course, I was assigned to a Community Based Learning project in which I had to gain experience volunteering with an outside organization for 15-20 hours throughout the semester. I chose to work with FACETS, a non-profit organization that works to provide affordable housing to families living with homelessness with the goal of ending the cycle of poverty. This opportunity helped me understand why it is so important to maintain relationships with community partners and not just show up one time and leave shortly after.
In this effort to develop more sustainable service, we decided to focus most of our efforts on the Godwin Middle School Leadership Program. We developed a community partnership with the school whereby Mason students plan and facilitate several leadership workshops throughout the year while also offering two large-scale events-the Teen Night and the 3rd InCredAble Conference. We felt it was important that if we were to be going to the school at all, we would have to make a meaningful presence in the community and build strong relationship with the students. Thanks to the commitment and critical engagement of several Mason student leaders, we were able to successfully complete these goals.
This is me meeting my hero, Ellie Marie Blaine, at the St. Judes Give Thanks Walk in Fredericksburg, VA.
Based on these experiences, LEAD has truly helped me grow as an engaged citizen and allowed me to think critically about the ways in which I contribute to society. A leader should be engaged in the happenings of their community and take efforts to support fellow community members. As a part of my understanding of leadership, leaders are those who are passionate about making a difference in their community. I intend to make sure that it is always a part of my practice.
