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Alumni Profile: Rebecca Gotlieb '12

"Dartmouth gave me the sunshine, water, and earth to grow; the Rockefeller Center gave me the fertilizer and trellis to enhance and expand that growth."
 
During my junior year of high school I toured several colleges, none of which gave me the same positive feeling I got from Dartmouth.  I decided to attend Dartmouth because I was amazed by the breadth of options here and the ways in which classes and co-curricular activities are blended to make a richer learning experience.  The Rockefeller Center Programs are the ultimate example of this breadth of opportunities and blended learning experiences that students have at Dartmouth. 
This past year I have been very fortunate to be able to participate in the Rockefeller Leadership Fellows (RLF) program.  I was drawn to this program by the opportunity to interact with a group of seniors who are leaders in a wide variety of communities at Dartmouth.   I appreciated learning from my talented peers, from texts, and from renowned experts about an array of leadership skills.  Through RLF I have learned practical skills like public speaking, the use of a Gantt chart, and fundamentals of negotiation.  Perhaps the most valuable has been the larger lessons about how to navigate the complexities of leadership and how to lead differently in different circumstances.  RLF empowered me with the realization that leadership can be achieved regardless of position or rank and I was humbled by the realization that positional leadership is really a job of serving others.
Participating in RLF has enriched my senior year on a personal level and has helped me gain confidence in how to conduct myself professionally.  Through RLF I have met peers who I admire and have grown to consider good friends.  My fellow RLF participants are people who I will continue to turn to and collaborate with in endeavors after Dartmouth because of their talent and connectedness.  I am more professional in my appearance, habits, and work products because of my engagement with RLF.  As I enter the work force, I imagine this will be very valuable in allowing me to put my best foot forward.   Furthermore, in RLF, we discussed techniques for being leaders after graduation in light of the fact that in our first year out of college, many of us will no longer have positional leadership roles.    
Dartmouth offers students a multitude of ways in which to assume leadership roles and practice leadership skills. The Rockefeller Center has given me the opportunity to step back and deeply reflect about leadership.  The leadership experiences I have had in college have been helpful in my growth; but the reflection and intentional focus on leadership principles I have had in RLF have critically supported that growth.  Dartmouth gave me the sunshine, water, and earth to grow; the Rockefeller Center gave me the fertilizer and trellis to enhance and expand that growth.