Joseline Cano
co-editor-in-cheif
Dominican University students David Perez, junior, and Paige Zawislak, senior, have spent the greater portion of their college life learning what it takes to be leaders.
Through the Leadership Certificate Program, Perez and Zawislak have developed skills meant to prepare them to take on leadership roles which they both have executed through their involvements on campus.
Up until eight years ago, the program was known as the Leadership Education and Development Program (LEAD) which was a two-year program at the university. Then Associate Director of Student Involvement Bill Dlugokienski molded LEAD into the Leadership Certificate Program (LCP).
Now under the current Associate Director of Student Involvement Mark Carbonara, LCP has truly became a co-curricular program. With currently 30 active student enrolled, it encourages students to take up leadership roles within clubs and organizations as well as their involvement in retreats and conferences.
Zawislak says, “I decided to enroll because I wanted to expand my leadership skills. When I was first told about the program, I thought it was a great way for me to get a wholesome leadership and Dominican experience.”
Since enrolling, Zawislak has worked as the Summer Orientation Assistant for SOAR (Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration) 2017, an Office of Student Involvement intern, resident assistant, and as the administrator for the Leadership Certificate Program.
Similarly, Perez says, “I knew the program would challenge me to get out of my comfort zone by completing the program requirements such as holding a leadership position on campus, taking leadership based courses and meeting monthly with a mentor.”
Perez has been a SOAR Torch leader since his first year, a student worker at the Student Involvement Center, the co-chair for special events on the Campus Activities Board, a resident assistant, an administrator for LCP, and a member on the President’s Board for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
With the new renovations to the program, it has become more accessible to students and their schedules. The courses needed are courses required to be taken by a plethora of majors across the board. The newest addition sprang from the close partnership with the Brennan School of Business where LCP goals have been integrated with their goals in hopes of making the program more accessible to BSB students.
Carbonara said, “ I believe students should join the program for many reasons. First of all, leadership is a skill that is becoming increasingly more important for entry-level professionals going into the working world. There is virtually no field of study or profession where aspects of leadership would not be important.”
A study conducted by USA Today in 2015 shows that job recruiters value a person’s work experience and leadership positions more than their GPA.
“Secondly, to continually live out the University’s mission of creating a more just and humane world, becoming a change agent is very important,” Carbonara said, “Throughout students’ experience in the program, they learn not only about leadership theory, but about core aspects of leadership. These aspects can include, but are not limited to, communication theory, public speaking, listening skills, ethics, emotional intelligence, self-care, time management, group dynamics, and much more.”
In addition, the program is now going to appear on students’ official university transcripts after they graduate. Perez said, “I’m excited that this certificate will show on my transcripts when I graduate from Dominican, it’s a great addition to your resume when applying to jobs.”
Carbonara said, “Students who have graduated with the Leadership Certificate in the past few years have told me that the program was usually brought up during their interview process and employers seemed extremely interested in the co-curricular nature.”
To complete the program, students are required to take a leadership capstone where they’ll be asked to pick a topic on an issue regarding Dominican that can potentially, as Zawislak said, “help the university.”
For anyone interesting or wanting to learn more, you can email leadership@dom.edu your questions or look for the Leadership Certificate Program page on EngageDU.
canojose@my.dom.edu