Students Talk about Leadership

BY

These are just a few of the raw ingredients of ethical leadership that students at Saint Michael’s see on campus, in classrooms, on athletic fields, in organizations, in emergencies, and in daily life. They know it when they see it. In the various roles they have taken on—heading organizations (Sayers and Galgay), as captain and key player on the volleyball team (Báez Rentas and Syverson), as resident assistants (RAs—Galgay, Folsom, and Cook) and working on Fire and Rescue (Preis) or MOVE—they have all served as leaders.

And it’s not all fun and games.

“Today’s leaders destigmatize feelings by being vulnerable and sharing their feelings,” says Zander. This can be just as important while working on a crew to pull people from a burning building as it is leading a team to play their best or sharing the burden of activism—creating change. Taylor admits to sometimes feeling overwhelmed by the ways others push her to “fight” their battles for them, making her often face the repercussions of speaking (their) truth. Ainslee feels the burden, as an RA, of telling people to stop drinking, or quiet down after hours. Everyone agrees being an RA is a tough, but critical and deeply appreciated, role on campus.

“On and off the court,” says Zander, a lieutenant in Fire and Rescue, leaders have to make split-second decisions. They have to trust that inner voice, cultivate it, make sure it is on the mark when it is needed. When people trust their leaders, it is judgment and intuition they are trusting.

“My Spanish academic advisor (and professor for most of my Spanish classes), Carolyn Lukens-Olson, can be intimidating,” says Beth, “but she is also incredibly caring. She brings out the best in us. I don’t want to disappoint her.”

Alexandra gets this. “I like to be in control,” she admits, so her challenge as captain is showing empathy for individuals while encouraging everyone to pull their weight. “Off the court, you’re my friend. On the court, we have a game to play.” Zander gets this on-the-court, off-the-court role that leaders often find themselves in.

Some of these stellar, articulate, deeply thoughtful students are reluctant leaders. “After many changes in the organization, I was the last person there,” says Kaylee of her role as leader of “Her Campus,” a national organization with an online magazine “dedicated to, written by, and focused on empowering, college women.” She could see that the organization served an important purpose, so she stepped up.

Taylor, who identifies as disabled, works hard to represent the needs and interests of students with disabilities and ensure an accessible, inclusive environment. It sometimes can be confrontational work, as it frequently dismantles systems long set in place perpetuating ableism. It often can be difficult due to her frequently having to stand up to people in positions of power.

“There’s a real fishbowl effect to leadership,” Kaitlyn says. “You feel that everyone is looking at you and you have to do everything right.”

Top to bottom: Zander Preis ’25, Alexandra Báez

Rentas ’25, Ainsley Cook ’24, Beth Syverson ’23

Top to bottom, opposite page: Kaylee Sayers ’23, Taylor Galgay ’24, Kaitlyn Folsom ’24, Katie Escobedo ’23

In her production work in the theater department, working in production, Ainsley is often in the position of organizing schedules and making sure that things get done. This can mean, for example, that she is left to spend 50 hours alone to finish the set for Dracula. This is leadership. People rely on you.

In Zander’s case, he tells the group that last year alone Fire and Rescue received 4,000 calls. “I never thought I’d be driving a fire truck in college,” he says, laughing. Would he trade any of it? Nope.

All agree that self-care is critical. Knowing when to say “no.” Recognizing when you are overwhelmed. Drawing necessary boundaries. Understanding that failure is a part of learning. The core ingredient of leadership at Saint Michael’s College? Service.

Katie Escobedo ’23

BY KAYLEE SAYERS ’23

Katie Escobedo ’23, from New Rochelle, New York, is a Psychology and Sociology double major with a minor in Business Administration. Escobedo is involved at Saint Michael’s in multiple areas. She wrapped up her career as goalie and captain for the varsity women’s soccer team in the fall of 2022; she is a part of SAAC the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee; she is a tour guide in the Admission Office; and she’s an advanced EMT with Saint Michael’s Fire and Rescue.

Fire and Rescue has been a pivotal part of Escobedo’s experience at Saint Michael’s. “Being on the rescue squad has been the most difficult yet also most rewarding aspect of my life,” she said. “I have not only gained literal certifications and real-world experience, but also a new outlook on life and gratitude. The rescue squad and school as a whole have helped me to know what I want to do in life, which is really just to help people.”

Escobedo not only has widened her world view through her rescue squad volunteer work, but also has grown through her time as a varsity student athlete on the women’s soccer team. “Being a varsity athlete and captain has given me leadership techniques and skills, communication skills, and some overall life values.” Few things, she says, distinguish the College from other institutions more than the way the students look after one another, and the expectation of acceptance, respect, and care students have for each other.