Summit treats aspiring leaders to sage advice, student acumen

About 60 students vying to fill vital campus leadership roles (Resident Assistant, Presidential Student Ambassador and College Relations Community Assistant positions) drew inspiration from exemplary classmates and faculty/staff mentors during Friday's Student Staff Selection Summit in Penn's Inn.  And anyone who doubts the value of those appointments had only to listen to the day's speakers, as they recounted the formative experiences that marked their zigzagging roads to success. Anthony J. Pace, dean of enrollment and academic operations, said his job as a Resident Assistant was both fun and difficult – sweetened by the lifelong friendships and other connections he made – but that “it prepares you for everything.” Another former RA, Christie A. Bing Kracker, director of the LEAP Center, said that position “led me to where I am today.” Insight and integrity were the order of the day, which answered such additional questions as "What was the toughest decision you had to make?" and "What does leadership mean to you?"

– Photos by Cindy Davis Meixel writer/photo editor

An American Sign Language interpreter (left) shares welcoming remarks from Allison Bressler Grove, director of student engagement.

President Michael J. Reed's presence affirms an institutional focus on (and appreciation of) Penn College's student leaders.

Meghan R. Delsite Coleman (left), assistant director of student engagement, moderates a candidly revealing panel discussion. Seated (from left) are Capt. Jessica Slade, ROTC instructor; Ellyn A. Lester, assistant dean of construction and architectural technologies; Pace; Nate Woods Jr., special assistant to the president for inclusion transformation; Reed; Loni N. Kline, senior vice president for college relations and chief philanthropy officer; John F. Chappo, assistant professor of history/history of technology; and Bing Kracker.

Chappo honors the "fun fact about me" segment with a crowd-pleasing anecdote about Global Experiences travel in the age of COVID-19, but the talk also had its share of earnest and vulnerable reflection ...

... as when Kline, prompted about her "most impactful leadership position," talked of helping her father run the household when her mother became ill. She also recalled juggling five part-time jobs while attending college, additional experiences that burnished her growth into a credible and effective Wildcat administrator.

A prospective student leader-in-waiting documents the expert counsel.

Slade presents a portrait in service, to her country and to the colleges in Bald Eagle Battalion.

Shelley L. Moore, director of the Center for Career Design, conducts an informative primer on resume-writing.

Brian D. Walton, assistant dean of business and hospitality, makes a point during his talk on "Professional Communication." A natural choice for the day's agenda, Walton served as president of the Student Government Association and a student ambassador during his undergraduate studies at Penn College.

Jennifer McLean, dean of students, employs a frequently overlooked and underestimated leadership quality – active listening – in answering her session's question, "How Can You Be an Effective Team Member?"

Pringle emphasizes the need for self-care to gird oneself for the pressures of being a responsible student role model.

A persuasive gathering of current student leaders wraps up the four-hour summit. From left are Zak Smith, West Chester, welding & fabrication engineering technology; Sophia G. Wiest, Butler, landscape/plant production technology; Lauryn A. Stauffer, Bath, automation engineering technology: robotics & automation; Kellor A. Schooley, Turbotville, business administration; Samir K. Pringle, Philadelphia, business administration; Sydney M. Telesky, Milton, human services & restorative justice; and Olivia D. Magann, New Albany, business administration.