Impact

Over the course of the Lead Forward Fellowship, SOAR has developed into a robust leadership development initiative that directly engaged over 200 students across various organizations, including our community partners Lafayette Mentors and College Mentors For Kids. We facilitated 11 in-person leadership visits throughout the academic year, each fully developed and facilitated by a team of dedicated SOAR mentors. Collectively, our organization contributed over 108 hours of direct service, engaging youth through interactive leadership activities designed around research-based competencies. One of the initial challenges faced by SOAR was the retention of members. Although several new individuals joined the organization last year, only a small number remained actively engaged. Through careful discussion among Fellows, we identified that the underlying issue was a lack of sustained motivation and commitment to SOAR’s mission. In response, we implemented incentive-based strategies to encourage participation and prioritized involving new members in site visits early in their onboarding process. 

These measures were effective in strengthening their connection to the organization’s work. We now have 25 active members, 13 of which joined this semester. We have also made strides in organizational planning, including the implementation of a research-aligned leadership growth rubric used across squads to guide activity design and reflection. This rubric ensures that each of the outcomes for each visit are not only intentional, but measurable. Recognizing that the organization is entering a period of leadership transition, we also focused on establishing a strong foundation for future leaders. This includes the creation of comprehensive organizational documents, such as a revised constitution, procedural templates, and squadron onboarding materials. These efforts have laid a sustainable blueprint for SOAR’s continued growth and impact in the years to come.

One of the most meaningful moments came during my return visit to Lafayette Mentors after several months. As soon as I walked in, a student I had worked with during an earlier session lit up and shouted my name. He remembered me, the activity we had done together, and even recounted part of the debrief discussion from that day. This moment was a powerful reminder that effective leadership development is not only about short-term progress. Rather, it’s about building connections that resonate long after the activity ends. I later compared our post-visit surveys from our initial visits to our most recent one and was struck by how much more engaged the students had become. In our initial visit, many students hesitated to speak or lead. Months later, those same students were volunteering to lead portions of activities, reflecting openly during debriefs, and empowering each other. Moments like these reaffirm that SOAR's work is making a difference. We are not just delivering activities, but helping young people see themselves as capable leaders and giving them the confidence to act on that belief. The same student even approached me afterward to ask for advice on preparing for college, implying that he viewed me as a positive role-model. 

As Robin from Lafayette Mentors put it: “What’s impressed me most is that SOAR truly cares about these youth and is serious about helping them grow.”