Rockefeller Leadership Fellow: Cedar Farwell ’17

I am greatly interested in how a leader acts to foster a group’s dynamic, and I believe RLF will afford me the opportunities to better understand the “how” of leadership rather than just the “what” of leadership. I believe leadership is taking on the responsibility of recognizing the power of one’s actions in relation to others.

Several experiences here at Dartmouth have been particularly meaningful and instructive to me when it comes to leadership. I served as the President of the Dartmouth Outing Club and as the Director of Sophomore Trips (STRIPS). Directing STRIPS was both extraordinarily challenging and supremely rewarding. We designed 24 five-day itineraries for trips that spanned Vermont and New Hampshire and included hiking, biking, sailing, climbing, community service, and other activities. We organized the food, gear, transportation, and payments of over 200 trippees, and the recruitment and certification of 40 trip leaders.

However, STRIPS was about more than just logistics. It was about creating a quality and dynamic experience for students. I came to appreciate how rewarding it is to work with a program that generates genuine enthusiasm from participants. The experience also taught me the value of enlisting people’s input early and often in order to generate the best ideas and better the culture of the experience for all.

I bring a lot of enthusiasm to RLF. In return, I hope to learn how to better present myself as a confident and credible leader, with goals that translate into beneficial actions for the team.

Cedar Farwell ’17 grew up in Hartland, Vermont. To get to Dartmouth he canoed up the Connecticut River. At Dartmouth, he has served as President of the Dartmouth Outing Club and Director of Sophomore Trips. Cedar thinks there is no better setting for education and growth than the outdoors and has been a Trip Leader and Outdoor Logistics Coordinator for the First-Year Trips program. He is an Engineering Major and has worked in the Woodshop and the Ceramics Studio. Cedar is on the Men’s Ultimate Frisbee team. Cedar is involved in research concerning natural resource management in New England, and will be working as an Educational Ranger for the National Park Service in Yellowstone this summer.

Edited by Rachel Favors '18, Rockefeller Center Student Program Assistant for Communications