1. How have the workshops and discussions on leadership this week changed your understanding of what leadership means?
I felt that this week's leadership workshop really shaped the way I viewed leadership in the sense of how situational it is. Coming out of this past workshop, I especially came to understand the importance of critically analyzing others' personalities, strengths, weaknesses, and shortcomings, as well as my own. Ultimately, I think in an ideal situation, everyone employs this same practice to best understand how they can play a role in a project while also accommodating to other's goal and work styles. In my Intensive General Chemistry Lab class, first semester, and even while doing my Eagle Scout project, I was taught that leadership HAS to be hierarchical in the sense that the sole leader is someone who directs others and most utilizes others' strengths. However, this workshop has taught me that while such a structure works, it's not necessarily the best and most efficient. Instead, regardless of a "designated leader," it's important that everyone collaboratively portrays leadership qualities.
2. How might you imagine applying one model of leadership during your Laidlaw summer on campus—either within the Laidlaw cohort or beyond this community? While we often associate leadership and leaders with seniority, how might leadership be modeled among individuals who are among the youngest people on campus (i.e. you!)?
As a undergraduate student in a research lab, its not uncommon for me to be added to another graduate student or. post-doc's project. In that dynamic I oftentimes found myself occupying the position where I am a follower to a leadership figure who assigns me tasks. However, after this workshop, I hope to look for ways in these projects where I can also show leadership qualities by learning how to take initiative and best help the individual I am working under. Another surprise coming into college was how in most clubs on campus, the president is necessarily a senior like in high school. As a result, I've come to truly see leadership as a role based purely on those ready to evaluate their own and other qualities to best complete a project.