Students looking to boost their leadership skills need only look to the Office of Student Affairs.
The Emerging Leaders Program allows students to improve and understand their leadership skills while building the confidence that allows students to become great leaders on and off campus.
One of the main focuses of the Emerging Leaders Program is to teach the cura personalis aspect of the Jesuit education, which translates from Latin to “care for the entire person.” According to Elizabeth Keating, program coordinator, the program will allow students to discover who they are not only as leaders but also as people, while learning to lead to the best of their ability.
“Students spend a lot of time in the classroom learning about their chosen area of study – the Emerging Leaders Program provides students additional learning opportunities that will not only help them enact positive change in their community but will also set them apart from other college graduates,” Keating said.
The students accepted into the program will attend leadership seminars with speakers in leadership positions at Loyola over the course of eight weeks. During this time, students will be able to spend time with other students who share a similar passion for leadership. Participants will come together with these students to complete an end of program project.
Rana Thabata, political science sophomore, is currently involved in numerous organizations on campus, including the Multicultural Leadership Council as president and a Student Government Association senator for the College of Arts and Sciences.
“I hoped to gain a sense of what being a leader on campus would be like. I wanted to learn about my own leadership skills and have goals of the type of leader I wanted to be during my time at Loyola,” Thabata said, about her reasons for applying to the Emerging Leaders Program.
Students can take advantage of this opportunity by applying on OrgSync until the end of December. Interviews will begin in January.
“This is a great developmental opportunity for Loyola student looking to prepare themselves for the professional world. Leadership is something that can be learned and enhanced in anyone – it is a quality employers like to see in their applicants,” Keating said. “The lessons students will learn in ELP will follow them after their time at Loyola has finished.”
Thabata said the program helped her understand what type of leader she is.
“The assessment we do and the activities we participate in really teach you about yourself and how you lead. This program just reminded me of how Loyola really wants its students to thrive,” Thabata said. “As a small institution, it provides so many leadership opportunities for students. I love and value this institution so much, and if I can use the opportunities it gives me to give back, I will feel like I have done my part.”
