Madeline Crocenzi
Editor-in-Chief
Next week Student Government Association (SGA) will be hosting LEAD WEEK, with events running February 8th through 11th.
LEAD WEEK is short for leadership week, and it’s a time to focus on Messiah’s mission of leadership development among students. LEAD WEEK began last year under student body President Tim Sensenig. This second LEAD WEEK’s theme is “Breaking the Mold: Discover your inner leader.”
Vice President of Clubs and Organizations, Jacob Pelkey, says SGA wants to help students feel qualified as leaders. “Many times we look at leaders on campus such as Kim Phipps or those highly involved in organizations such as Agape and we put ourselves down because we don’t feel we can accomplish what they are doing. Leadership is about realizing where you are and understanding that a person has influence over many parts of their life.”
There will be various opportunities for students to get involved in LEAD WEEK. There will be an Opportunities Fair on February 2nd, a film showing in Parmer on February 8th, and a gym day with Christy Hanson and Abby Book on February 10th.
“We also added a physical activity event to the mix; we will be in Hitchcock with Christy Hanson and Abby Book talking about how communicating within a group that you have influence can be a powerful tool. The LOFT team will be helping to keep people on their toes with a few activities and games!” says Pelkey.
Students will have the chance to hear from different faculty throughout the week. On February 8th, Dr. Crystal Downing will speak on the film “In the Heat of the Night.” On February 9th, Director of Student Involvement and Leadership Programs Kevin Villegas and SGA President Jonathan Fuller will also speak. There will also be a “Coach’s Huddle” on February 11th that includes Scott Frey, Brooke Good, and Judi Tobias.
Pelkey says there are additional incentives to attend LEAD WEEK events. If you go to two different events during the week, you will receive a free movie ticket for any spring semester Lost Films and a free popcorn.
“There are free Lost Film tickets on the line, and I heard Star Wars is coming,” jokes Pelkey.
He adds that SGA and Messiah students have worked hard to make the events fun with free food and tickets. By styling some of the events as engaging discussions, rather than lectures, Pelkey hopes students will learn lifelong leadership skills.
“People should realize that leaders were once learners and beginners too. In high school, I would have said there was no way I would ever be the Vice President of Organizations because to me that was as boring as American Government. College is a great time to experiment and grow from trial and error, and we want students to grow in a direction that right now they don’t even realize they could achieve,” he says.
If you would like more information on LEAD WEEK check out the Messiah College Student Government Association page on Facebook or email sga@messiah.edu.