One model of leadership I can imagine applying this summer is adaptive leadership. Throughout the workshop, I was struck by the idea that leadership is not always about having the answers, but about helping a group navigate competing needs, values, and challenges. As someone who is still relatively new to many of the spaces I occupy on campus, I do not have the seniority, expertise, or institutional knowledge that some others do. What I do have, however, is the ability to ask questions, listen carefully, and help create conditions where people can contribute their perspectives.

Within the Laidlaw cohort, I hope to practice this by paying attention to moments when people may be approaching a problem from different motivations or assumptions, much like we discussed in the workshop. Rather than trying to push the group toward a quick solution, I want to make space for reflection and conversation so that everyone's needs are considered. Beyond the cohort, I think leadership among younger students can be modeled through initiative and care rather than authority. We may not hold the most formal power on campus, but we can still influence the culture of the communities we are part of by showing up consistently, supporting others, and being willing to take responsibility when something needs to be done. This week reinforced for me that leadership is less about position and more about how we engage with the people around us.