What does leadership look like? This is just one of the many topics Milton Hershey School® students explored during the Leaders for Life conference hosted by Student Government Association in Feb. 2015.
“A leader is not arrogant,” said junior Shaelah Best. “It takes a lot of humility. You have to be willing to make other people’s problems your priority.”
From challenging activities to dynamic speakers, students learned there is more to being a leader than telling others what to do.
“Our students don’t have to wait until they graduate to become leaders. They can be leaders Monday morning,” said Chairman of the Board of Managers Robert Cavanaugh ’77. “Being a leader is not about helping yourself – it’s about serving others.”
Students attended workshops to learn to develop public speaking, identify opportunities to lead and overcome fear. They participated in activities like a team-building challenge to build a tower from plastic cups and an exercise to make magazine covers that represent leadership.
“I want to become more of a leader in my student home and at school, and I think this will help me,” said freshman Zion Parris.
Students also had the opportunity to learn from successful entrepreneurs like Jason Wolfe ’87, founder and CEO of GiftCards.com; military leaders like Lt. Gen. Richard Zilmer ’70, United States Marine Corps (ret.); and celebrated business leaders like Bill Simpson, president and CEO of Hershey Entertainment & Resorts; along with a host of other accomplished and renowned speakers. Many younger alumni, houseparents, teachers and other school employees participated as speakers and as support staff for the event.
