The Collection

      On Saturday, April 9, I was afforded the opportunity to meet Dr. Sidney Ribeau, former President of Howard University, as he addressed the Freshman Leadership Academy about his thoughts about leadership. He began as he said we always should, by thanking those who help get us where we are. He then moved on to sharing what he believes are the true qualities of a leader. One point that I found interesting about what he shared was that there are different kinds of leadership styles. He challenged the group to each so a personal assessment of our own style of leadership, as well as what we desired to gain from being a member of the Freshman Leadership Academy. With this insight, he urged us to make sure that we are getting the most out of not only ourselves, but also the program.

       Another interesting concept that he shared with us that of “deep learning.” “Education is a tool of empowerment,” he said, and it is his belief that we should guarantee we were learning how to apply the knowledge that we get from the classroom. To me this was common sense, until he showed me just how much we are not taking advantage of our education as we could be. For example, if I want to be a future university president, I should take a Finance or Accounting course, even if it is outside of my major scheme.

          Must of what Dr. Ribeau said spoke directly to me, especially with the current project that I am invested in. I am glad that he came to speak to us at the end of the semester so that I will soon have free time to deeply reflect on what he has said and find ways to incorporate them into my life. Something that I found special was that Dr. Ribeau said that his leadership style is to empower other. This is something I believe we have in common. I have always strived to make sure other grow with me as leaders. I enjoyed his address and look forward to sharing his message with others.