DLAB Leadership From Within: Part I

The 2017 Dartmouth Leadership Attitudes and Behaviors (D-LAB) program kicked off on January 16. D-LAB is a six-week long program co-sponsored by the Rockefeller Center and the Collis Center for Student Involvement for first-year students to allow them a space to reflect on individual values. David Pack and Robin Frye, of the Collis and Rockefeller Centers respectively, welcomed participants to the program, and spoke about how D-LAB provides a space for reflection on leadership and values for students at the beginning of their Dartmouth experience.

Over the course of the next six sessions, participants will discuss a particular topic and converse within their groups of first years and two upperclassmen facilitators. The first session was "Leadership From Within: Part I," and allowed students to start thinking about how their experiences have shaped the values they prioritize. Students began by engaging in ice-breakers within their groups and with all participants; David Pack led an activity that asked students to share where they fell on a spectrum in response to a variety of questions. This set the tone for participants to begin discussing what norms they wanted to set for their groups. Facilitators then gave participants the space for written reflection to write poems that represented where they were from. Written reflection allowed for participants to share more than just their hometown, and to open up to their group about formative experiences that have shaped who they are.

After sharing their poems, students then completed the Model of Multiple Dimensions of Identity to start thinking about how Dartmouth has impacted the participants’ social identities. The entire session allowed for students to consider how their personality, experiences, and identity influence their leadership decisions and individual values.

“It was wonderful getting to learn about and hear from such an engaging group of ’20s. My co-facilitator and I are looking forward to seeing how we all grow throughout the program over the next few weeks,” shared facilitator Nathan Busam ’17.

At the end of session, participants were encouraged to begin thinking about their own lists of individual values. In the next session, participants will connect these values to the actions they take, and reflect on when values and actions are in conflict and agreement.

Written by Sarah Han '17, D-LAB Student Facilitator