Leadership

Outcome: Through the Alternative Spring Break experience, we were able to advance our understanding of leadership.

How our individual experiences improved our leadership skills:

Sean: "Debra Foster (CASA advocate and social worker) is one of the most inspiring leaders I've ever met. Deborah's unwavering positive attitude and genuine enthusiasm for service work was an infectious source of positive energy. From the moment we first met Deborah, I knew that she was someone whose example I should follow. I hope that someday I can apply that same level of enthusiasm to my own leadership roles. It was amazing to see how a single individual could foster (pun intended) such positive energy in a group they had only just met."

Rachel: "A unique opportunity our group had was meeting the mayor of Biloxi, Andrew Gilich. He is extremely enthusiastic about Biloxi and declared it 'the greatest city in the world.' He is a lifelong resident of Biloxi and his passion for the people and his dedication to improving the city is inspiring. He embodies the skills a successful leader should have with his devotion to the people and his understanding of the community. He was engaging and eager to make us laugh and more than willing to recommend the best places to get local seafood. The experience of meeting Mayor Gilich made me reevaluate my own leadership skills. He has inspired me to become a more creative problem solver and advocate for the things I am passionate about."

Jocelyn: "Julie Kuklinski originally came to Biloxi to help residents after the devastation from Hurricane Katrina, but actually stayed to help start up Women in Construction. You can tell that Julie was extremely passionate about helping others and it was so inspiring. Along with helping the women involved with the Women in Construction program, Julie was incredibly grateful for all the help she received. Even if it was just small little tasks that we did you can see the gratitude in her eyes."

Russell: "The experience that I had that stuck with me the most was when I worked with Johnny, who was a teacher at Women in Construction. He taught us how to lay flooring - a seemingly easy process that proved to offer plenty of possibility for error (which we certainly discovered). Despite this, Johnny was patient and had a positive attitude throughout, and ultimately we were able to make a big contribution to the project because of his instruction. Johnny taught how valuable positivity can be when in a leadership position, and I will definitely look to emulate his optimism in my future leadership roles."

Women in Construction with Julie and Johnny (above)

At CASA and meeting the mayor (below)

How we will apply our leadership skills in the future:

Sean: Having seen the immense influence a leader's attitude can have on a group, both for the better and worse, I will definitely try to be more conscious about the message my attitude sends to my team members. From my previous experiences as an HST member, I know that this is especially important when things don't go according to plan. When this happens, which it inevitably will, I know that maintaining a positive attitude can mean the difference between losing an hour's worth of work and an entire day's.

Rachel: One of the leadership skills I gained through the Alternative Spring Break experience is improved communication skills. I needed to communicate with individual teammates on the best way to complete a task. As a result, I have a better understanding of how to communicate within a team. In the future, I want to apply my leadership skills by taking on more active roles in the student organizations I am a part of. After working with our community partners and the kids, I want to seek out volunteer opportunities in Iowa City that focuses on youth education.

Jocelyn: After this experience I definitely have a better understanding of different cultures and how to help with those people overcoming different struggles. I am now aware that you don't have to completely fix people's lives, sometimes small tasks make a huge difference. For instance, while we were working with Women in Construction I spent half the time literally just raking leaves. It seemed odd and kind of pointless to me at first but making the building appear more inviting more women will venture out of their comfort zone to learn something new to eventually provide a better life for their families. Eventually everything you do impacts the world in some way, whether its negative or positive.

Russell: "I reaffirmed to myself that I really like working with kids, and I also explicitly realized how important it is that every child has an opportunity to experience a quality education. Because of this, I have decided I'm going to join Big Brothers Big Sisters next year!"

Leadership in our Common Read

The Freedom Writers Diary

By the Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell

In The Freedom Writers Diary, teens encourage by their teacher, Ms. Gruwell, write in journals about their lives and the many struggles they have been faced with including drugs, murder, homelessness, gangs and sexual assault. Through literature and the healing power of writing, Ms. Gruwell transforms a group of students who were deemed unworthy by society and their school and helped them become active citizens. Ms. Gruwell is an example of the effects positive leadership can have on a group of kids. A notable feature of Ms. Gruwell's leadership style is her determination. She is able to accomplish so many things with the Freedom Writers because she does not take no for an answer. She fought the high school administrators to give her students as many opportunities as possible. Additionally, against all odds, she found Zlata, a girl from Bosnia who lived through genocide and wrote about her experiences, so the her students could send her letters. Her leadership even brought Zlata to the United States so the Freedom Writers could meet with her. Ms. Gruwell's positive leadership caused her students to become leaders. She led by example, and with her as their role model, the Freedom Writers mentored young kids. Ms. Gruwell and the Freedom Writers are leaders who embody perseverance, dedication and a willingness to learn.