For the past four years, I've been actively involved in student leadership of some kind at Trinity. Because of that, I have grown exponentially and learned much as a member of Kingdom Leadership (our school's leadership title).
If your school has leadership applications opening next semester, now is the time to begin considering those opportunities if you are interested! Here are a couple of reasons why:
1. Leadership retreats
Student Leadership Retreat is one of the highlights of my year. We spend four days in leadership training sessions, team building, games, prayer, worship and just plain bonding. It's a wonderful way to start the year strong and plan ahead for upcoming events without the stressors of school!
2. Resume building
When future employers look at your resume, they will be glad to see you already have leadership experience coming in; it shows commitment and enthusiasm, two things bosses always want for their company. In addition, leadership can give you opportunities you wouldn't have otherwise, such as overseas trips (I've had the blessing of going to a partnership school in India twice), major event planning and conferences with prominent speakers!
3. The friendships you make
The early morning or late night meetings have actually become one of my most treasured moments of student leadership. I had an entire semester of 6:30 a.m. meetings and our group ended that semester far closer than we were in the beginning. There's something about that time of day—when you're makeup-free, clutching coffee and discussing upcoming mission trips overseas—that bonds you tighter with your fellow leaders. The past four years of leadership have given me my closest friendships, for sure.
4. It will prepare you for the future
If you suddenly have to reschedule a chapel speaker, add more worship songs or come up with a rain plan for a large event, you learn flexibility and creativity. (Here, we added another song with literally two second's notice!) These are very important skills to have later on, not just for work, but for life in general. Being a part of leadership has taught me to always have a backup plan and a backup plan for that backup plan.
5. Networking
My father was a part of leadership at his college 30-some years ago, and some of his fellow leaders still keep in touch with him today. He's been able to use those relationships to bring in a good experience for his work as a professor. It takes just a simple call or email and he's got a guest for his grad school course that he teaches. I took notice of this and am now mentally and physically keeping track of people I can contact for graphic design jobs or resources.
6. People skills
I have gained so much emotional intelligence and perception through my work as a college leader. I know how to ask questions and when to stay quiet, I've learned ways to deal with difficult people, and above all, I've learned to value others in my communication. One of my college's mantras is that people are not just problems to be solved, they are people first.
7. Fun
Leadership isn't all meetings and hard conversations, it's also incredibly fun; we get together and have Christmas parties or coffee dates, just because. The Student Leadership Retreat is one of the most fun events we have as leaders. There's lots of laughter over those four days!
8. Character building
The character traits of integrity, resilience, kindness and self-discipline have been instilled in me during my time as a Trinity leader. These four traits have stuck out most to me during various trials and frustrating times (low event turnout, deadlines, injuries, etc.)m and I hope that if you become a leader, you take these traits to heart.
9. It helps make your school a better place
Trinity wouldn't be the place it is without College Union, Missions Cabinet, Residence Life, Men Under God, Discipleship Cabinet, Community Partnership Cabinet, Women's Ministry Council, Emerging Kingdom Leaders, Trinity Ambassadors and Student Government Association. Our groups host many, many different events throughout the year that enriches students' experiences and providing activities on weekends. I'm thankful to be a part of these opportunities and I can't wait for my fifth and last year as a student leader!
