D-LAB Session 5: Leadership in Practice

This ongoing series shares the experiences of participants and facilitators in D-LAB (Dartmouth Leadership Attitudes and Behaviors), a student-facilitated program designed for first-year students to discover the relationship between leadership and personal values.

D-LAB’s fifth and final session was titled "Leadership in Practice," and the goal of the evening was to help students identify programs and opportunities that would be their natural next steps in putting what they learned and experienced in the first four D-LAB sessions into action. Representatives from 18 different departments and centers, listed below, attended the session, and the format followed the World Café methodology of 15 minute rounds of small group conversations. There was enough time for participants to visit at least six areas of their choice.

The final D-LAB session hosted representatives from 18 different campus departments and centers in a world café format where participants could meet and discuss leadership opportunities. Photo by May Nguyen '18.

When we joined a table, the representatives asked us questions about our interests and values. They then made recommendations on what appropriate opportunities were available through their department or center. With so many different opportunities available to us all in one room, it was extremely difficult to choose just six tables to visit. I finally made a decision to visit the Office of Pluralism and Leadership, the Collis Center for Student Involvement, Student Health Promotion and Wellness, Off-Campus Program, the Dickey Center for International Understanding, and the Academic Skills Center.

Academic Skills Center Assistant Director Leslie Schnyder with ASC Intern Addy Adewusi '15. Photo by May Nguyen '18.

Before this session, I had heard about these different resources on campus, but I had never taken advantage of them before this. Visiting the different tables made me realize that Dartmouth has many programs in place that are designed to improve our time here. There were opportunities from stress and sleep management to advising on study abroad programs and service trips. All of the representatives from the different programs were so kind and helpful. It was clear that they were all there to help us, the students of Dartmouth, have the best experiences and opportunities possible. I left the session not only feeling better about myself, but also reassured that if I ever need any help with anything, there are professionals at Dartmouth who are more than happy to help. These opportunities help Dartmouth students do great things and gain real life experiences that will help us far beyond our four years on campus.

Student Health Promotion and Wellness Interim Co-Director Amanda Childress encourages students to think critically about healthy decision-making. Photo by May Nguyen '18.

I am so sad to see the end of my time with D-LAB. Over the last five weeks, I learned so much about myself through self-discovery, and I have become more aware of the Dartmouth community, my peers, and myself. I have become more confident with my leadership skills, and I have had many meaningful conversations. I learned much about my peers and realized that our differences add to the diversity of our school and make it a better place.

An Off-Campus Programs representative explains the a variety of opportunities for undergraduate students to study off-campus and earn credit toward their degree. Photo by May Nguyen '18.

The following Departments and Centers participated in this session:

• Center for Professional Development (CPD)
• Center for Gender & Student Engagement (CGSE)
• Office of Pluralism and Leadership (OPAL)
• Collis Center for Student Involvement
• The John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding
• Institute for Writing & Rhetoric
• The William Jewett Tucker Foundation
• Residential Education
• Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network (DEN)
• Student Health Promotion and Wellness
• Office of Outdoor Programs and Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC)
• The Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy
• Academic Skills Center
• Off-Campus Programs (OCP)
• Tuck Bridge Program
• The First-Year Deans
• Ethics Institute
• Dean for Scholarship Advising 

 
-Written by Niamé Daffé '18, D-LAB Participant