Meet the April 2020 Students of the Month
ON-CAMPUS STUDENT: Faith Little
Originally from Holton, Kansas, Faith Little is a freshman majoring in Communication Studies while working towards a Leadership Studies Certificate. On campus, Faith is involved in various organizations; FHSU Cross Country and Track & Field, Christian Challenge, Center for Civic Leadership, and the Honors College. In her free time, she enjoys learning new songs on her ukulele, creating art, reading, and being civically engaged through community service! Faith chose to become involved with Leadership Programs because she was drawn to the excellence of the academic program, the intelligent and kind community within the department, and also the learning opportunity to better access the needs of the community as she pursue her dream of starting a nonprofit. Faith’s favorite leadership course that she has taken has been Introduction to Leadership Concepts taught by Professor Greenleaf. Every concept in class has been insightful and impactful. She is excited to apply the knowledge she has gained in this class throughout her life in college and as she pursues her career ambitions. Congratulations, Faith!
ON-CAMPUS STUDENT: Tatum Ditto
VIRTUAL STUDENT: Marisol Antunez (MPS Student)
Marisol is an MPS Graduate student from New York. Outside of school, she likes to spend time hiking, blogging, biking, and cooking. She got involved with Leadership because she has always been fascinated with leadership. Specifically, she enjoys learning about the dynamics of people, relationships, and communications with one another that I always wondered what makes individuals follow other individuals. Marisol’s favorite leadership class has been LDRS 818: Ethical Leadership. Marisol mentioned that " This class has really blown my mind. Not only was the literature so educational but the questions and assignments the professor would give us really made you think outside the box- really opened your mind about what is ethics, what is morals, how does that apply in leadership. It has opened my eyes to the true depth of ethics and ethical behavior. Each week I would talk to my friends and family about what I am learning and what their thoughts on the subject- it has led to some of the most interesting conversations. When choosing an elective, my advisor Professor McRay highly recommended this course to me and I am grateful she did." Congratulations, Marisol!
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT: Yubing (Serena) Ding (SNU)
Serena is a junior from Shenyang working toward a degree in International Trade. She is taking leadership classes to help achieve mutual benefit in the maximum trade between China and other countries. She is involved in AIESEC, which is committed to providing talent assistance to other developing and underdeveloped countries and attracting students from these countries to take challenging internships in developed countries. Now, because of the global outbreak of COVID-19, she and her classmates have formed an environmental group to contribute to the environmental issues their communities. Outside of school, Serena likes to learn and teach others Japanese. Serena enjoys taking leadership courses because "As a Chinese student, I am deeply aware that Chinese students are lacking in the formation and development of leadership. Thus, in order to promote leadership to more students in the future, we must learn to use leadership, and convert the knowledge in the textbook into our own habits.” So far, Serena’s favorite leadership course is LDRS 310: Field Work in Leadership Studies because she prefers to develop leadership through practice rather than learning from books. Congratulations, Serena!
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT: Qiao (Violet) YiXuan (Sias)
Violet is a junior from Xinzheng City, Henan Province, China working toward a degree in International Economy and Trade. She is taking leadership classes because she wants to expand her horizons and the ability to practice leadership. She has actively served her community by joining the Xinzheng volunteer association and went to pick up garbage in Huangdi’s hometown in Xinzheng and handing out flyers to teach people how to protect the environment. Furthermore, her team put on fundraisers to by food and clothing for a family in need. Outside of school, Violet likes to play the piano and badminton, travel to different places, and go to the gym. Serena enjoyed LDRS 640: Principles of Civic Leadership with Jeff Bourgeois because " This is the first time I have served as a class leader in leadership courses through the encouragement of teacher Jeff, and I learned a lot of theoretical knowledge of leadership. This is the most memorable reason for me. And there is often a difference between theory and practice. I can learn a lot from practice about leadership. Then, this course gives us a lot of practice and can help non-profit organizations. I think it is good to inspire our conscience and we can flexibly use what we have learned to help the NPO. True knowledge comes from practice.” Congratulations, Violet!