For some students, leadership positions are placed on their shoulders without preparation, but for some this weekend, they are going to have the chance to learn what it means to be a leader.
On Saturday morning from 9:30 to 5 p.m., mostly underclassman students will be attending a retreat that will teach them leadership skills they can use in their career both at the University and beyond.
“This is where students can put it all together,” said Student Leadership Assistant Anna Voinovich. “They learn how to put values into action.”
About 260 students registered for the day-long retreat, Voinovich said.
“The retreat is a series of workshops,” she said. “The talks are deeper conversations about ethical and moral obligations. We look at the fact that making decisions aren’t always easy and there isn’t always one answer.”
The retreat will provide emerging students a chance to give to the community and build as a leadership base, said Lindsay Marshall, student leadership assistant.
“The retreat helps people connect,” Marshall said. “It shows us how to build a foundation and how to use it.”
Marshall participated in the retreat last year as a student.
“It gave me a chance to really think about what is valuable to me because you never really get a chance to think about that,” she said. “That helped me develop into what I wanted to be.”
Claire Austin is a graduate intern for the Leadership Center and a facilitator for the retreat this year.
“Students will be broken up into small groups when they arrive,” Austin said. “Each group will have two facilitators with them the whole day. There will be a series of workshops the students will go through, and everything [they] learn builds along with the prior [workshop].”
Austin will be with a partner and lead the students through the process, she said.
“[Students] will discover more about their lives and be able to apply the ethics they learn to their everyday lives connecting values and ethics,” she said. “They will also learn about passion and commitment.”
The day will be very active for the students involved, she said.
“Facilitators will present information and help students learn through the different workshops,” Austin said.
The retreat is just the start of some of these students’ roles in being leaders, Voinovich said.
“This retreat is not the end-all,” she said. “It’s a great way to begin being a leader.”
