Academics

Leadership Programs Motivate

A dozen UM students attended events with students around the country to explore ways to enhance student engagement.
Leadership Programs Motivate

Twelve University of Miami students were selected to attend various leadership programs across the country this summer.

The programs included trips to the S.P.I.R.I.T. (Spirit, Pride, Involvement, Relationships, Impact, Traditions) Institute at Clemson University, Summer Leadership Event at the Walt Disney World Resort and the Concert Management Institute at Marquette University.

The events, hosted by the National Association for Campus Activities and scheduled throughout June, provided “members with the knowledge, ideas and resources to promote student learning through engagement in campus life.” 

The events were aimed at ensuring student engagement on college campuses and fostering meaningful volunteer experiences for attendees. 

Each student selected, as representatives of different organizations at UM, was given the opportunity to meet and share ideas with fellow students from around the country.

Rising junior and chair of Category 5, Nicholas Kaleel, attended the S.P.I.R.I.T. Institute with about 150 students from universities across the country. 

Category 5 is a student organization established to help foster student spirit on campus.  

“It really helped give me perspective into some of the challenges that other universities are facing and how we can improve student spirit at UM,” Kaleel said. 

It was his first trip to South Carolina and he said some of the most useful things he learned came about through his interaction with other students.

“A diverse group of individuals that all care about their work and are working towards a common goal,” he said.

That’s what Ja’Shondra Pouncy, social justice education coordinator at UM’s Butler Center, said she will take away from her time at the Summer Leadership Event at Walt Disney World.

Other student organizations represented included Hurricane Productions, Homecoming Executive Committee, and Hurricane Productions Concerts.  Representatives from these organizations hope that these experiences will help students not only in their current roles at the University, but also when they graduate and become working professionals.