Interview with a Leader

Throughout high school, my friend used to drop off the face of the earth for two weeks each summer. Where did she go? An exotic vacation? Rehab? No and definitely no. She went to camp. Thinking she was roasting marshmallows and singing songs about squishing worms, we used to make fun of her. Yeah we were kind of jerks. She was actually attending a two-week leadership camp. The joke was on us because our happy camper became the president of an international youth group, received a full ride to an Ivy League school, and is basically taking over the world as we speak. I interviewed Ms. Go-Getter to see what her camp experiences were all about.

Q: What types of people attended your camp?
A: Really anyone you can imagine — you’d be surprised. If you want to think of it in terms of stereotypical high school groups, there were athletes, tech enthusiasts, debate team members, student government officers, and any other group you can think of. The one common characteristic we all shared was a desire to really stand out and excel with our respective activities.

Q: If you had to pick one, what’s the most valuable skill you developed there?
A: I think it would have to be learning to work with and lead all sorts of different people. Since the camp’s participants were very diverse, it was a good opportunity to practice communicating with people who are from a different background or have a different perspective. As I’ve transitioned from high school to college, I am really starting to realize the importance of this. And as I go from college to the real world, I know I’ll be working with an even more diverse group of people.

Q: You were the president of an international youth group — tell us more about that.
A: Sure, well the group is split into different regions and within those regions are various chapters of members. I spent a lot of time traveling to these regions and meeting with the chapters. We often discussed issues they were having and I helped them find solutions to their problems. For chapters that weren’t necessarily having issues, I assisted them with developing new programming, recruiting new members, and things of that nature.

Q: How do you think the leadership camp prepared you for this position?
A: A major focus at camp was sharpening our “active listening” skills. More than just hearing what someone is saying, active listening is a structured way of listening and responding to ensure that you understand what the other party is trying to communicate. It involves paying to attention to the manner in which people say something, such as looking for emotionally charged words. When I was meeting with individuals and discussing their chapter problems, active listening was key. Sometimes they didn’t always have the right words to describe the issues but I was able to pick up on subtle clues to help identify the problems.

Q: Any advice for students interested in leadership camps?
A: Go! You don’t have to go year after year (although it is helpful and you do learn something new) and you don’t have to do a particularly lengthy program (you can find ones that are a week or weekend). While attending camp, I knew it was helpful. Now that I’m farther removed from it, I am realizing it was more helpful than I originally thought.