Features
Learning Leadership with the Levitt Institute
By Michelle Chung '20
January 26, 2017
Tags features
While most students spent their winter break in the comfort of their homes and on vacation, 28 Hamilton students braved the snow and came back from the break early to take action, initiate change and learn how to become leaders in their communities. With plenty of team building exercises and resources at their fingertips, they participated in the sixth annual Levitt Leadership Institute (LLI), learning what it truly takes to create personal and societal change.
The LLI is a two-week leadership training program that seeks to teach students the importance of empathy on a global sccale, ethical and efficient behavior and working towards a common good. Students who apply and are chosen for the program are led by former Ambassador Prudence Bushnell and leadership training expert Christine Powers, in addition to recent Hamilton graduates.
Emily Yong ’19 participated in the first week of LLI for the first time out of a desire to learn how to become less of a “follower” and more of a leader. “I wanted to learn more on how my ideas could be better formulated and talked about, as well as how to place myself in a position where I could be heard,” said Yong.
Participants of the program met for eight hours a day, and were asked to complete group challenges that focused on how to communicate effectively and avoid disputes. The challenges were interactive, collaborative and worked in tangent with the program’s various skill-building workshops.
“I met a lot of great people who wanted to become leaders in their communities, including those who were willing and open to change,” Yong said. Yong emphasized how many of these challenges asked the participants to take on different leadership styles, hoping to ensure all voices were heard.
Students also had the opportunity to interview local community leaders in Utica. Yong found her experience in interviewing the CEO and President of a non-profit organization especially rewarding, as she recalls a memorable piece of advice. “A good leader knows how to learn, listen and adapt.” Yong felt as though the experiences she had in LLI embodied this lesson and taught everyone how to become more aware of how their leadership affected others.
The optional second week of LLI takes place from Mar. 11 to 16 in Washington D.C., where students are able to further their leadership by participating in networking events, attending skill-development sessions and planning a leadership initiative (called the Commitment to Action Project).
The Commitment to Action projects focus on making meaningful but attainable goals using the skills from the LLI. Past projects have worked with different groups in the community including the Mohawk Valley Refugee Center and the Neighborhood Center, both in Utica, NY. Additionally, organizations on the Hamilton campus such as Write Back @ You, Leadership Experience and Preparation Program (LEAP) and Minds for Change were founded as part of commitment projects from the LLI. The projects and groups continue to be an integral part of Hamilton, and create positive impacts both on the campus community and beyond.
Though she is not positive yet, Yong plans to work on a project revolving around public health as she’s always been interested in traveling, helping people and doing international work.
The LLI not only allows participants to become more aware of themselves but also teaches them to be more empathetic to others, teaching them how to apply their skills to real-life situations. Yong states, “Working with former ambassador Prudence Bushnell as well as the other trainers and complete
The challenges really put things into perspective, and gave me an experience I don’t think I would’ve found anywhere else.”