Rockefeller Leadership Fellow: Lauren Martin '16

This series introduces the 2015-2016 Rockefeller Leadership Fellows. Each fellow reflects on why he or she wanted to be a part of the program and what aspects of leadership most interests them.

I look forward to being a Rockefeller Leadership Fellow because I believe the program provides a genuinely unique opportunity, one that echoes the emphasis Dartmouth places on intellectual and personal growth. In allowing seniors from all academic, organizational, and social backgrounds on campus to, together, invest time in grappling with what it means to be a leader, I believe RLF acts as a culminating experience for life at Dartmouth. It compels us to think critically and creatively, allowing us to reflect on who we want to become.

Through high school and college, my peers have constantly described me as a reliable team player who offers great guidance and support, and more jokingly, said that I would "make a great Chief of Staff." I have always taken these statements as compliments, as I think there is something vitally important in being a collaborator and someone who others can rely on. Since coming to Dartmouth, I increasingly admire the people around me who are able to command the attention of a group of people confidently and effectively, while also garnering and maintaining their respect.

On campus, I am most involved in and passionate about Movement Against Violence, TriDelt, and the Dickey Center's Human Development Fellowship. Being a part of MAV and TriDelt has allowed me to exercise and cultivate certain aspects of my existing leadership abilities. The training I received upon joining the MAV executive board taught me various facilitation skills as well as the importance of tact in dealing with sensitive subjects.

From RLF, I hope to gain a better understanding of recognizing and marshaling the strengths and weaknesses of a group as an effective and well-respected leader. More philosophically, I hope to take this time each week to learn more about myself and others as leaders, what it means to be a good leader both ethically and functionally, and engage with the question of what leadership is and what it should be. As a Fellow, I will contribute my collaborative skills and ability to work on a team, my open mind to the opinions and views of others, and my genuine love the of the impressive diversity and intelligence of Dartmouth students.

Lauren Martin grew up in Montclair, New Jersey and graduated from Montclair Kimberley Academy. At Dartmouth, Lauren is a Government major. Outside of the classroom, Lauren is currently Vice President of Finance for TriDelt and a Human Development research Fellow for the Dickey Center. She has also spent a few terms working as a teaching assistant and grader for Government 10. To give back to her community, Lauren is an active member of Movement Against Violence where she served as sophomore summer co-director as well as a volunteer at the Upper Valley Haven’s after school children’s program. Lauren decided to start taking German during her senior year and hopes to travel there after graduation before hopefully attending law school in the fall.