Interview by Jacy Li ’14

1.           What’s your leadership involvement on and off campus in Bryn Mawr?

On Campus
•        LEAP Student Coordinator (January 2012-May 2013)
•        BMC Student Activities Assistant  (December 2011-May 2013)
•        Bi-College News Business Manager (January 2011-December 2011)
Off Campus Experience
•        Maimonides Leaders Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania (October 2012- December 2012) [ for more information visit :[http://www.upennjews.com/mlf_aboutus.html]

2.        What type of leader are you?

In LEAP Terms, I would categorize myself as an artist, who is a quiet and a process oriented leader.  I really enjoy the process , in the way I appreciate time for reflection and understanding others’ perspectives.  I am also very deliberative in how I approach projects and leading organizations—I try to anticipate obstacles and have back up plans.

3.        How do you think LEAP helped you to model your leadership today?

LEAP helped me see how understand qualities in my personality that I could use as a leader—the program helped me become more self-aware of what it meant to be an effective leader. The program also showed me that other people have a variety of ways of leading a group, so as I took on leadership roles. I modeled my leadership style with that understanding. I try to help people cultivate their strengths when leading a group or project.

Looking back, I’m grateful that I did this program during my sophomore year, because that was the most challenging year for me.  I had just started a new position as the business manager on the Bi-College News, and the newspaper was enduring some obstacles regarding funding. This occurred when LEAP had its budget management meeting, so I was able to apply what I learned to my position.

4.        As a LEAP student coordinator, what do you feel most proud of about LEAP, or which do you think had the most impact?

I am most proud of seeing the people who go through LEAP grow as leaders—especially this year. This year was the first year that I was able to see a cohort from the beginning to the end, from the outside coordinator position. Going through the program in my sophomore year, I didn’t truly grasp how much a group could grow over a period of time.  It was really nice seeing how LEAP overlaps into other aspects of campus life—like in the classroom or when cohort members support their fellow cohort members in campus activities.
I think going through LEAP had the biggest impact on me—without going through the program, I wouldn’t have considered doing a coordinator position. Since I gained so much from the program, I wanted to give up and help expand and strengthen the program.

5.        What is a challenge you faced, and how did you grow from it?

When I was in high school, the culture of the school and then all the subsequent activities that I participated in (from grades in classes, to extracurricular activities, etc.) felt like a competition with others.  That competitive culture was my challenge. I knew that competition was a part of life.  But I also knew that because of that competitive culture, I needed to work twice as hard so I could obtain opportunities for growth.

When going to college, I knew that at my core, I really just wanted the opportunity to learn for the sake of learning, and I wanted to participate in activities where I could grow as a person. Sometimes the competition with others hindered my ability to take on a role that I knew I could succeed in.   That’s what attracted me to Bryn Mawr College in the first place (and LEAP as well)—I wanted to go to a school where I had the chance to do that. Since my challenge helped me choose a college, and revealed to me what I wanted post-high school,  that’s how I grew from my challenge.

6.        What advice would you give to an underclassman?

My first piece of advice is to try something new each semester that challenges you—whether it be taking a course off Bryn Mawr’s campus,  taking an elective outside your major or minor,  going into Philly more often, participating in a new volunteer activity ,  or taking on a new leadership position (to name a few). You only go through college once, and by doing this you may discover a passion in yourself that you never knew existed.

My second piece of advice is to always know there are others options. By this, I mean if you don’t get a leadership position, internship, class (etc) that you felt for sure was your first choice, don’t be discouraged! There could new opportunities for you that you would have never discovered, if you got into a class or received a position or internship from Plan A.