From Scholar to Global Citizen: My Laidlaw Programme Experience

As I reflect on completing the Laidlaw Scholars Programme, I'm struck by how fundamentally this experience has reshaped not just my understanding of leadership, but my very sense of identity and purpose. What began as an academic opportunity has evolved into a profound journey of character development, cultural immersion, and global citizenship that will influence every aspect of my future personal and professional life.

The Laidlaw Programme's holistic approach, combining rigorous research, leadership development, character formation, and real-world application, created a unique laboratory for growth that no single experience could have provided. Through summer research, the Oxford Character Project, annual conferences, global networking, and my Leadership-in-Action experience in Maui, I've discovered that true leadership emerges not from individual achievement but from authentic service to communities and commitment to ethical action.

Summer Research

My first summer research experience laid crucial groundwork for understanding how academic inquiry can serve broader social purposes. Working as a researcher in Maui introduced me to the island's complex social dynamics while maintaining the comfortable distance of academic observation. This initial exposure taught me the importance of rigorous methodology, critical analysis, and evidence-based thinking, all skills that would prove essential throughout the programme.

However, the most valuable lesson from this research experience was recognizing its limitations. Academic research, while important, still maintains barriers between scholars and the communities they study. This realization would later inform my approach to the Leadership-in-Action project, where I deliberately chose to return to Maui in a service capacity rather than continuing as an observer.

The research skills I developed, careful observation, systematic analysis, and clear communication of findings, became foundational tools for all subsequent programme components. But more importantly, this experience helped me see that effective leaders must be committed to continuous learning and comfortable with complexity and ambiguity. The questions raised during research often matter more than the answers discovered.

Leadership Development Sessions

The leadership development sessions throughout the programme challenged many of my preconceived notions about effective leadership. Coming into the programme with conventional ideas about leadership as direction-setting and decision-making, I gradually learned to understand leadership as facilitation, service, and relationship-building.

Sessions on authentic leadership helped me recognize that effective leaders lead from their values and genuine strengths rather than trying to conform to external expectations or stereotypes. This insight was particularly important for me as someone navigating multiple cultural identities. I learned that my diverse background wasn't something to manage or explain but rather a source of unique perspective and cultural competence.

The emphasis on collaborative and relational leadership and systems thinking fundamentally shifted my approach to problem-solving. Rather than looking for individual solutions to complex challenges, I learned to identify leverage points within systems and to work with others to create collective impact as well as manage conflicts. This systems perspective would prove essential during my Leadership-in-Action experience, where legal advocacy, community organizing, and direct service all intersected in complex ways.

Annual Conference

The annual Laidlaw conference provided my first taste of the programme's global scope and the incredible diversity of perspectives within our cohort. Connecting with fellow scholars from different continents, academic disciplines, and cultural backgrounds challenged me to think beyond my own context and consider how leadership principles translate across different settings.

Presenting my own research and receiving feedback from insanely smart peers working on everything from climate and medical science to social justice advocacy showed me the interconnectedness of global challenges and the need for collaborative approaches to complex problems. 

More than the formal presentations, though, the informal conversations and relationship-building that happened during the conference proved transformative. Learning about fellow scholars' research and Leadership-in-Action projects in contexts ranging from medicine to environmental conservation to educational equity expanded my understanding of how leadership principles can be applied across vastly different challenges and communities.

These connections also reinforced the importance of humility in leadership. Hearing about the sophisticated work being done by peers around the world reminded me that effective global citizenship requires recognizing the limits of my own knowledge and experience while remaining committed to learning from others.

Networking with the Global Cohort

The ongoing networking opportunities with fellow Laidlaw scholars created a global community of practice that continues to inform and inspire my leadership development. The global network also demonstrates the power of distributed leadership and collective action. Rather than individual scholars trying to solve complex problems alone, we've learned to utilize our diverse expertise and perspectives to support each other's work and create broader impact. This collaborative approach models the kind of leadership that global challenges require. This sets an excellent example that sustainable leadership depends on reciprocity, generosity, and long-term relationship building rather than transactional networking or self-promotion.

Leadership-in-Action

My Leadership-in-Action experience at SOUL Law in Maui is undoubtedly the programme's most transformative component, where theoretical understanding met real-world application in ways that fundamentally changed my approach to leadership and service. Returning to Maui as a legal intern and community required me to move from observation to participation in ways that were both challenging and deeply rewarding.

Working within a small social justice law firm while simultaneously volunteering with multiple community organizations taught me that true leadership often means following the lead of those with more experience and deeper community connections. My role wasn't to direct or innovate but to support existing initiatives while contributing whatever skills and energy I could offer.

The cultural immersion aspect of this experience, living in local neighbourhoods, learning pidgin and basic ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, and being welcomed into community gatherings, reemphasized that authentic leading requires genuine relationship building and cultural humility. The warm welcome I received from local families and the rapid integration I experienced transformed my understanding of effective cross-cultural relationships and how they rely on vulnerability, respect, and willingness to be changed by the communities we serve.

The biggest lesson my LiA experience taught me is that ethical leadership requires constant self-reflection and consultation with others, particularly when working across cultural and power differences. 

Character Development

Throughout all programme components, the thread that ties everything together is character development; the ongoing work of becoming a person who can lead ethically and effectively in complex, ambiguous situations. The programme's emphasis on character as the foundation of leadership challenged me to move beyond skills acquisition toward fundamental questions about values, integrity, and moral purpose.

The programme's approach to character development as an ongoing process rather than a fixed achievement has illuminated the idea that ethical leadership requires continuous self-monitoring, feedback from others, and commitment to growth. The relationships I built with mentors, peers, and community members throughout the programme provide ongoing accountability and support for this character development journey.

Future Commitment 

As I look forward to applying lessons from the Laidlaw Programme in future endeavors, I'm committed to approaching every opportunity through the lens of global citizenship and ethical leadership. Whether I continue to do legal advocacy, policy work, academic research, or community organizing, I will prioritize relationship-building, cultural humility, and service to marginalized communities.

The programme has given me the insight that global citizenship isn't about working internationally but about understanding how local actions connect to global systems and maintaining commitment to justice, equity, and sustainability wherever I'm located. I plan to continue supporting Hawaiian sovereignty and Indigenous rights movements while also applying lessons learned to other contexts where communities face systemic marginalization.

My commitment to ethical leadership means centring community voices and agency in any work I do, being transparent about my limitations, and measuring success by community-defined outcomes. The cultural competence I developed through deep immersion in Hawaiian communities has provided a model for approaching any cross-cultural work with appropriate respect and humility.

I also commit to maintaining and expanding the global network of relationships built through the programme, recognizing that the complex challenges facing our world require collaborative responses that leverage diverse perspectives and expertise.

The Ongoing Journey

The Laidlaw Scholars Programme has taught me that leadership development isn't a destination but an ongoing journey of growth, service, and relationship building. The skills, perspectives, and connections I've gained provide a foundation for lifelong learning and ethical action, but the real test will be how consistently I apply these lessons in future challenges and opportunities.

The programme's greatest gift has been showing me that authentic leadership emerges from the intersection of rigorous thinking, ethical grounding, cultural competence, and genuine service to others. As I continue my journey, I carry with me the voices of mentors who modelled ethical leadership, community members who taught me about resilience and wisdom, and fellow scholars who demonstrated the power of collaborative action.

The Laidlaw Programme has prepared me not just to pursue leadership opportunities but to approach them with the humility, integrity, and global perspective that our interconnected world desperately needs. This is both a privilege and a responsibility I carry forward with deep gratitude and unwavering commitment to the communities I look forward to and am honoured to serve.