Giving students the tools they will need as leaders
Charles “Chas” Hodgdon ’15 didn’t want to attend the weekend-long Leadership Voyage when it was offered last fall.
A 21-year-old transfer student, he was disinterested in participating in activities and had no desire to associate with the other students in the program. But, after the first exercise—where students yelled into balloons all of their frustrations before releasing them into the air—Hodgdon felt relieved.
Gradually throughout the weekend, he found himself settling into the workshops and really taking something away from each one.
Hodgdon was one of 58 students from all walks of campus life to attend the second annual Leadership Voyage held at Camp Becket last October. The program is brought to students by the Student Activities office, Residential Life, Student Government Association and the Campus Activities Board.
Jessi Hufnagle, one of the event coordinators, says, “The weekend used to be a Hall Council training session for first-year students, and sometimes we would invite members of the Student Government Association. But we realized that there are a lot of different student leaders around campus.”
Despite being in its second year, the Leadership Voyage increased its number of applicants nearly tenfold from 2012’s retreat. The event coordinators, Jessika Murphy and Hufnagle, found it hard to narrow down the applications to fill the available 60 slots.
Transformation
The Leadership Voyage is an opportunity for emerging and established leaders to build their skill sets, challenge themselves and create relationships with other leaders on campus through workshops and hands-on activities. Students must attend the program to learn more about it, as its offerings are a well-kept secret.
Students who attended last year were encouraged to reapply, as there is always room to grow and learn, and students like Hodgdon were encouraged to investigate, even against their intuition.
Hodgdon was glad he took the chance.
By Sunday afternoon, when participants gathered in a circle to share their favorite aspects of the program, he had a beautiful story of transformation, telling the group he had discovered his inner leader. Previously, Hodgdon said he was like a sunken ship, with only part of his true self visible to the world, but the leadership experience made him feel renewed and open—ready to take hold of all of the opportunities he could. His speech received a standing ovation, and it now stands as an inspiration for all future student leaders.
Bridget McNay ’16 attended the Leadership Voyage for her second year last fall and says she not only made new friends, but also learned a lot about herself, the skills she needs to improve on, and who she can turn to for help on campus.
The team that led
The professional facilitators for the weekend, Steve Ositpow and Lonnie Scott from Leadership Voyage, organized events to build community among the students. Activities such as the low-ropes course allowed students to navigate as a team, whereas the high-ropes course focused in on harnessing individual power. Students also attended a series of sessions presented by Ostipow and Scott.
The weekend’s activities are meant to teach personal leadership skills, team building, organizational leadership, goal setting and ethical decision making. To sustain the successful effects of the weekend, however, the activities performed at the camp are held in confidence by the staff and students.
How to take part
Leadership Voyage is free to all students who wish to participate, but, due to the size of the facility, the retreat is limited to only 60 people each year. Members of the Student Government Association and Hall Council are encouraged to apply to further their leadership skills.
To attend the Leadership Voyage Weekend in the fall 2014 semester, students can contact Jessika Murphy (jmurphy@westfield.ma.edu) or Jessi Hufnagle ((413) 572-8053) from Westfield State Student Activities. Applications are sent out in September.
