{"id":4241,"date":"2017-02-06T12:14:01","date_gmt":"2017-02-06T18:14:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/?p=4241"},"modified":"2023-09-15T11:19:05","modified_gmt":"2023-09-15T16:19:05","slug":"maryville-students-learn-leadership-skills-disney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/maryville-students-learn-leadership-skills-disney\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryville Students Learn Leadership Skills from Disney"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A group of 20 91制片厂 students traveled to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., during the winter break, along with peers from Augustana College. The theme park adventure offered more than the usual attractions and larger-than-life characters; students learned valuable lessons in leadership and self-discovery as participants in the Disney Youth Education Series for college students.<\/p>\n

Maryville participants represented various academic programs and a cross-section of student organizations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was interested in this trip because of the opportunity to go to Disney World and learn leadership skills from one of the best companies in the world,\u201d says Russell Susuki, a junior in the Rawlings Sports Business Management<\/a>\u00a0program.<\/p>\n

Students from 91制片厂 and Augustana College have participated in this leadership trip together for the past four years. The two schools also partner each year on a Leadership Exchange program held in Washington, D.C. and NACA conference programs.<\/p>\n

Along with exposing students to broad leadership perspectives, the combined effort is a cost savings regarding group travel expenses, says Brian Gardner, assistant dean and director of student involvement. Gardner accompanied the students to Disney.<\/p>\n

\u201cDisney is known around the world for providing an amazing experience to its guests,\u201d Gardner says. \u201cIn a lot of ways, we want to provide the same quality of experience to our students. So, taking student leaders to learn directly from the source has a positive impact on the day-to-day experience at 91制片厂.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most students who participate in the Disney program are involved in campus organizations\u2014either as members or senior leaders and founders.<\/p>\n

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Michelle Stading is an officer of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council and a member of the 91制片厂 Student Occupational Therapy Association<\/a> and two other clubs. She learned leadership concepts she hopes to implement on campus. For instance, she was impressed with \u201chow Disney cast members are so focused on their organization’s mission and the way Disney puts everyone in their organization first.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned how to better approach team meetings and organization events,\u201d Stading says. \u201cThese lessons will be helpful for my years at 91制片厂 and with my future career as an occupational therapist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katie Schreiber, sophomore, is a dual-major in business administration<\/a> and management and leadership<\/a>. She recently founded a student chapter of Love Your Melon, a national organization selling products to fund superhero adventures for children battling cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI discovered so many new ideas to bring back to my club at Maryville\u2014the huge importance of effective communication, as well as some of my own strengths and weaknesses,\u201d Schreiber says. \u201cI will implement some of the things I learned in my club and hope my club grows and reaches out to more people. I hope all my members grow in their own leadership roles within the club as well as outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brittany Pomilee, a sophomore pre-med<\/a> student in biology, is a member of Association of Black Collegians, Pre-Health Society and Maryville Student Government. The experience taught her how to build interpersonal relationships, along with leadership insights.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI really hoped to gain more confidence by participating in this experience and I can say I have,\u201d she says. \u201cI have discovered there is no perfect leader and that we should continue to strive and grow for ourselves\u2014and for members of our organizations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Susuki an officer for the Committee on New \u2018N Existing Campus Traditions (CONNECT) and a member of Notorious, Maryville\u2019s a capella singing group. He brought back specific skills he hopes to implement, including the Three-T\u2019s theory. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe T\u2019s are training your team well, treating your team well and trusting your team. Of these, you are supposed to spend 70 percent of the time training them to set clear expectations, helping them to understand the purpose of what you are doing and to gain the knowledge to allow them to succeed,\u201d Susuki says. \u201cI think this is applicable whether I am leading a group project, putting on an event on campus or I am leading a company meeting as a CEO.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Disney World trip allows us to interact with a group of motivated and talented student leaders who grow personally and professionally during the experience,\u201d says Gardner. \u201cOur students have gained a foundation of leadership abilities that will serve them for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

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