John Carroll University’s Donnelly School of Leadership and Social Innovation hosted high school juniors from across Northeast Ohio last weekend at the Project LEAD Student Summit.
Project LEAD assists high school juniors in their path to becoming more effective leaders in the classroom and the community. The event allowed juniors from across the region to interact with each other and enhance their leadership skills by tackling new obstacles with a positive attitude.
“It was great to see students from nearly 40 different high schools interacting with each other and with our JCU Leadership Scholars, as all involved were reflecting upon and sharpening their leadership skills,” said Kyle O’Dell, Ph.D., senior director of student engagement and director of undergraduate leadership education, on the event this past weekend.
The summit also gave students the opportunity to participate in activities held by John Carroll Leadership Scholars who were in their shoes just a few short years ago. O’Dell stressed the importance of experiential leadership that John Carroll faculty and students continue to have on local communities.
“It is important for the faculty and staff within the Donnelly School of Leadership and Social Innovation to look for opportunities to increase the leadership capacities of students in Northeast Ohio, so that they are able to make an impact on the many challenges that our society faces,” he said. “In addition to the on-campus Summit, Project LEAD also will be traveling to area high schools to engage younger students in leadership development on their very own campuses.”
Students in attendance, both from John Carroll and high schools around Northeast Ohio, showed the resilience, determination and bravery it takes to be a leader when the path ahead may seem uncertain. The Project LEAD Summit proved to be another step forward for the University in giving back to the community while also giving current students the opportunity to gain new perspectives.