4 minute read
Failure
LEADING THROUGH
FAILURE
Failure is something we generally avoid. During academic year 2019-2020, though, Scholars took part in a new Roan initiative we called “The Failure Project,” which challenged them to redefine their relationship to the concept of failure. Along the way, they learned about the power of setting big goals, working through disappointment, and responding with resilience.
People crave success – so, admittedly, there were some skeptical looks among Scholars and Roan supporters when “The Failure Project” was announced in Fall 2019.
Roan staff heard feedback such as, “I really don’t like the term ‘failure.’” “You are asking us to try to fail?” “Aren’t we a program that emphasizes excellence?”
Trying to fail was not the goal. Instead, Roan staff challenged each Scholar to apply for at least one competitive opportunity over the course of the academic year that even with a best effort the Scholar was unlikely to receive. Scholars were encouraged to think about highly competitive internships, jobs, grants, awards, and other honors, but also opportunities where success or failure was to some extent predicated on chance.
“This is a program that seeks young leaders who, at an early age, already have exceptional records of accomplishment,” says Roan Director Scott Jeffress. “For most, rejection or failure has not been a common part of their experience.”
“When you have such a record of success, it may be tempting to ‘play it safe,’” says Roan Assistant Director Jennifer Axsom Adler. “The Failure Project was designed so that as a group we could work through setting high goals and, equally important, build our resilience in the face of rejection.”
Visualizing goals for The Failure Project was an important part of the experience. Roan staff transformed a wall in the Roan office into “The Failure Wall,” featuring each Scholar’s picture, plus sticky notes with goals and deadlines. The sticky notes quickly grew in number, and posted goals often inspired new goals for other Scholars.
There were highly competitive goals, such as applying for a U.S. Senate internship and securing funding for summer research. There were personal goals, like winning a poetry contest or taking a picture in 20 countries. Other goals related to professional development, like gaining admission to a “reach” graduate program. Eventually, more than 100 goals appeared on The Failure Wall.
Rejections, indeed, did come with The Failure Project - but plenty of successes did, too. For the first time, Roan Scholars competed for the Department of State's Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship for study abroad; four received grants. For the first time, Scholars applied for the national Student Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP); one Scholar received an acceptance letter. For the first time, Scholars applied for the Fulbright UK Summer Institutes, among the most competitive summer opportunities for rising juniors in the nation; one Scholar was accepted. Several Scholars supported teams selected to compete in the University’s new ETSU Elevates grant competition, helping local organizations secure funding for service projects.
Sam Garcia ’23, who was part of a team awarded a $5,000 service grant in the ETSU Elevates competition, says, “The Failure Project expanded my horizons and allowed me to strive for goals that I never thought I could accomplish.”
For some Scholars, The Failure Project helped them see that rejection does not reflect their value or experience. You “may have all of the qualifications and experience needed for a position” but that does not mean
you are “the most well-suited individual for the position,” says Tiffany Cook ’21. Disappointment brought emotional growth for Cierra Linka Cross ’21. The project showed her that “failing is worth it, both for the tangible drive to do better next time and the emotional maturity it brings when it does not work out,” she says. For other Scholars, The Failure Project helped them develop lasting, tangible skills. Many applications had significant writing components, leading Scholars to focus on writing, revising, and honing their narrative. “I learned how to better tell my own story,” says Haylie Davenport ’23, and “that my story is one that is “THE FAILURE PROJECT EXPANDED MY HORIZONS worth telling.” The COVID-19 pandemic led to an unexpected second act of The Failure and allowed for me to Project. Particularly for summer and strive for goals that I never global experiences, cancellation and thought I could accomplish.” postponement notices followed the initial, joyous acceptance letters. — Sam Garcia ’23 “The cancellations and postponements were incredibly hard,” says Adler. “Even students who found ‘success’ in The Failure Project had projects and plans that did not unfold as they had hoped. COVID-19 reinforced the message of The Failure Project, which is learning to be resilient in the face of disappointment.” Will The Failure Project continue? In some ways, it already has. “Scholars have shared with us that they have put up their own Failure Walls at home this summer, outlining big goals they hope to accomplish,” says Jeffress. “We can’t wait to see where the lessons and skills learned from this experience will lead.”
LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE FAILURE PROJECT
Lily Edwards ’22
Connor McClelland ’21
Carter Wilson ’23
