Student Perspective: How I’ve Become a Leader at Marian

Hello! My name is Kylie Lehman, and I am a junior nursing student here at Marian University. I currently serve as Student Body President, along with working as a Marian Ambassador for the Office of Undergraduate Admission, a Student Coordinator for the Office of New Student Orientation, and I am a member of the Honors Academy. Marian began preparing me to take on these leadership roles since the very first day of my freshman year, and I have grown to be more confident in my abilities because of the emphasis Marian places on developing leaders.

Entering into Marian three years ago, I was a relatively shy and quiet individual who came from a small high school and was ready to enter into a smaller college. I was pretty involved in high school but had yet to take on a large leadership role. Throughout my three years at MU, leadership development has been embedded into the curriculum and taught through multiple roles I’ve had on campus, which has helped me feel more prepared to step out of my comfort zone and allow myself to try new opportunities. Coming into Marian, I never expected myself to be in these roles, especially something as big as Student Body President, but I felt prepared through the help of Marian.

President Elsener has instilled in the Marian community the importance of transformational leaders and the qualities they possess. He emphasizes that a transformational leader believes in enhancing the common good, and he also describes transformational leaders as “THIS.” THIS defines transformational leaders as trustworthy, having a healthy approach to life, inquisitive, and skilled. Marian has helped me to be confident in my leadership capabilities and take on roles that I truly never saw myself in. The transformation that I have gone through since my freshman year has been honestly astounding and is due to Marian’s emphasis on developing transformational leaders that will go and do good in the world.