Summary:
The School of Public Affairs Leadership Program is an honors program within the School of Public Affairs at American University. Following a competitive application process as incoming first-year students, selected students will complete the 15-credit course of study that culminates in a Certificate in Advanced Leadership Studies. The Certificate in Advanced Leadership Studies Program was launched in 1990 for students to receive the experience, skills, and knowledge to prepare them for leadership roles in public service. The mission of the program is to empower students by providing them with the leadership knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary to lead intelligent, creative, and compassionate lives in public affairs.
Increased Knowledge of Leadership:
Being a member of the School of Public Affairs Leadership Program was a life-changing experience. I had the opportunity to learn about leadership theory and then apply that theory to practice throughout my four years at American University, significantly increasing my knowledge of authentic leadership. During my first year in the program, I worked on a team with 6 other students to complete my first year-long social action project on immigration and education policy. Our project, titled “Improving Services for Immigrants and Refugees In D.C. Schools,” sharpened my policy-oriented thinking as I developed a method to enhance immigration policy in relation to education. My team and I interviewed non-profit leaders, local elected officials, and residents. I had the opportunity to collaborate with an immigrant support group in the DMV area and presented a college preparatory workshop with information pertaining to different areas of the college application process. This experience enhanced my knowledge of leadership because it taught me how to properly work on a team towards a long-term deliverable. I learned to trust my teammates and that anyone on a team can be a leader as long as they are putting their best foot forward. Working on a team was a rewarding leadership experience because I was further exposed to my strengths as a leader and was able to successfully contribute to the group.
My second year in SPA Leadership was challenging but ultimately rewarding and instrumental to my growth and knowledge as a leader. I became a First-Year Teaching Assistant, which meant I was leading 6 other students through their team social action project while completing my own project individually. For my social action project, “Project Food Oasis,” I studied urban food deserts in Washington, D.C., specifically in Wards 7 and 8, from an intersectional perspective. The first phase of my project focused on the causes of food deserts in the city related to unfavorable policy outcomes and the adverse impacts they have on marginalized groups. Phase two of my community project, which involved volunteer work with Martha’s Table was disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This experience increased my knowledge of leadership because I learned to become more adaptable and accommodating my and my students’ projects to still make an impact at a time when the Washington, D.C. community needed assistance the most. I carry this experience with me now because I learned that the hallmark of a true leader is not necessarily sticking to a plan, it is accommodating internal and external circumstances to maximize impact as much as possible. I learned in class that leaders are made and not born, and this circumstance increased my knowledge of authentic leadership and enhanced my capabilities as a leader.
During the rest of my time in the SPA Leadership Program, from completing an internship for credit to our capstone, my knowledge of leadership has significantly increased. I am more capable of applying the leadership theories that we learn in class to real-life situations.
How SPA Leadership Changed my View of Leadership:
The School of Public Affairs Leadership Program drastically changed my views on leadership. I applied to this program unsure of what it was as an incoming freshman, not expecting to get accepted nor knowing what I was getting myself into. I certainly did not consider myself a leader by any means either. However, SPA Leadership changed all my conceptions of what a leader actually is. I learned that anyone can be a leader. I thought that leaders had to be extremely outgoing, dominating, and intense to be seen as legitimate, similar to those leaders one would find under the Great Man Theory such as George Washington. However, we learned about different leadership traits, theories, and scholarly work that spoke to the contrary. Hard-working, dependable, and analytical personalities who are maybe a bit more reserved, like me, can also be great leaders. Learning these lessons made me more confident in myself and capable of my abilities. I put myself out there more and pursued my interests wholeheartedly. I became a leader within SPA Leadership, a role I never anticipated myself as a first-year student. Eventually, I was able to take on opportunities in government and the private sector in public affairs, policy, and communications, as a result of my more optimistic outlook on leaders.
Key Takeaway:
One key takeaway from the School of Public Affairs Leadership Program is the importance of being able to work well with others; successful leaders do not get where they are alone. To be a great leader, one needs to connect with others and garner their support. From working on a year-long group project as a freshman to group projects in our capstone and working on the SPA Leadership student e-board as a First and Second Year Teaching Assistant, the only constant was the necessity to work well professionally with my teammates. In most, if not all careers, there is some component where one will find themselves needing to work and interact with others. Therefore, the most important takeaway from SPA Leadership is the necessity to learn how to work well with others toward something bigger than oneself. This, to me, is the true hallmark of a leader.