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ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø's Leadership Development Program (LDP) embraces the idea that everyone has the capacity to be a leader. This year, the program — run by ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø's Center for the Development of Leadership Skills — is celebrating 15 years of providing knowledge, training and hands-on experience to students.

Leaders are not just CEOs and presidents, but individuals from all walks of life whose common goal is to make a positive difference in their communities, says Laura Seplaki, director of the program.

"Our students come from very diverse backgrounds and we've had representation from all the academic colleges at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø," she says. "What they do have in common is their desire to develop and build confidence in their leadership skills, as well as a recognition that doing so will only help them in their future personal and professional lives."

The LDP focuses on three main components — academic, experimental and practical leadership learning. Students in the LDP are required to participate in seminars and earn credits in addition to their normal course load. They also must matriculate 200 co-curricular points, which can be acquired through leadership experience in groups and organizations both on and off campus. Students who complete the program earn a certificate in leadership that is noted on their transcript and have their own graduation ceremony.

"The LDP is unique from most leadership programs at other colleges in that it is academic and co-curricular and open to any major," Seplaki says. "Many leadership programs at other institutions are either strictly co-curricular or only available to students within a certain school or discipline."

Brittany Blythe '14, who majored in psychology, says the program was integral to her collegiate experience. As a first-generation student, she says she sought out all the resources and opportunities she could. When she heard about the LDP, she knew it would allow her to expand her personal development skills.

"Having a physical disability, I wanted to learn to use my leadership skills to help others see past my disability and to my skills," Blythe says. "While I was naturally drawn to leadership activities in middle school and high school, I struggled to transfer my skills into the community. While I was confident in the classroom among my peers, I struggled to be confident in community settings. The LDP allowed me to develop the confidence I needed to engage in community leadership."

Today, Blythe works as a mental health therapist at Crozer Keystone Health Systems. In 2019, she graduated with a master's in forensic counseling psychology and hopes to earn a doctorate soon. She works directly with patients who have severe mental illness to help them increase their independence.

"I directly use skills I have learned from LDP such as interpersonal skills training on active listening, negotiation, dependability, empathy, decision making and teamwork to collaborate with clients and their support team," Blythe says. "Without the skills or the confidence that I gained while in LDP I would not be able to help make a difference."

Mechea Medine-Morgan '06 also relies on the skills she gained in the LDP as a detective for the New Jersey Attorney General's Office.

"My experience in the program furthered my knowledge and understanding of the essential principles of what encompasses an effective leader," says Medine-Morgan who originally began a career in human resources before law enforcement. "The program enabled me to pull from my personal experiences while fostering the awareness and emotional intelligence to exercise sound judgment and decision-making amongst a team. The lessons realized over the course of the leadership development process equipped me with an index of resources to make practical real-world applications throughout my career."

Since the program first graduated a class of 16 students in 2005, it has grown to graduate about 30 or more students per year. To date, nearly 400 students have graduated with a certificate in leadership. Seplaki says she hopes each LDP graduate leaves with a better concept of who they are as a leader and the desire to positively impact the world around them.

"We give them knowledge through the academic courses and seminars, help them determine their purpose and provide them training and practice opportunities to build confidence and leadership self-efficacy," Seplaki says. "By doing these things, we are confident that students will not only grow in their leadership capacities but also recognize that their leadership education must extend beyond ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½¹ÙÍø and be lifelong."