As part of the Center for Student Involvement programming, the ֱ State Leadership Center hosts Lessons in Leadership panels. These discussions are interview-style programs that feature students and faculty talking about their leadership journeys.
As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to a close, the center hosted a Lessons in Leadership: Hispanic Heritage Month Panel.
The panel was moderated by Gianna Jessup, graduate assistant for the Center for Student Involvement. The panel was composed of Tyler Woody, a senior studio arts major and Spanish and Latine Student Association event programmer; Maria Zaldivar, a professor of modern and classical language; CV Garcia, a Ph.D. candidate; and Alice Fermaintt, Student Multicultural Center program coordinator.
The panel took place in the Leadership Center room at the ֱ State Student Center. The panelists and moderator sat up front as they waited to share their knowledge with the audience.
The event started with each panelist’s first leadership position, which, for all, involved a role in their families. Whether it was being an older sibling or being a role model for younger cousins, all panelists discussed how their familial roles helped them to become the leaders they are today.
Panelists also discussed how their definition of leadership has changed as they have progressed through life.
“I think growing up, we're taught that leadership is a title,” Garcia said. “Like, to be a leader you need a title, and it is one person who is usually a man. But, throughout the years, I've changed my definition of what it means to be a leader. Because being a leader can mean so many different things and I saw that leadership is not just one person in charge, but it’s a team effort.”
Zaldivar shared similar sentiments when describing how her definition of leadership has evolved.
“A leader is anybody who can persuade and influence the behavior in a private sphere, they would be parents, older siblings, grandparents, or in the public sphere, like a teacher,” Zaldivar said. “It’s important to remember that if you're ever in a leadership role you need to listen to do a good job.”
As the evening went on, Zaldivar discussed how she first came to recognize the aggression toward people who are part of the Hispanic community and how that has impacted the way she acts in her everyday life.
“I started to put two and two together of the discrimination I experienced when Latinos became part of the political discourse in 2016,” Zaldivar said. “I remember here when, during homecoming, a fraternity shouted ‘build the wall’ at the Latino Student Association when they were walking. It was the first time in the U.S. that I ever experienced that, and it was the first time in the U.S. that I stopped using Spanish in public. To this day I’m still conscious about using Spanish in public.”
The panelists then went on to discuss how they overcame barriers and how community has made a big impact in helping them overcome the barriers they have faced in life.
“I think the overarching theme for all of us is community,” Fermaintt said. “Having a support system that is going to be your biggest cheerleader at times when you’re battling things like imposter syndrome, it’s really to have someone in your corner being like ‘You’ve got this.’”
The event closed with a Q & A from the audience, where panelists had the opportunity to speak about specific problems faced by audience members.
The next Lessons in Leadership panel will be at 4 p.m. on Oct. 26 and will focus on voter initiatives.