Leadership Development Agnes Scott Prepares Today’s Learners to Be Tomorrow’s Leaders

BY JILLIAN PRICE

Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Congress, once said, “I am and always will be a catalyst for change.” It’s an inspiring quote—and one that Agnes Scott College takes to heart as it helps students develop the skills they need to claim their place as leaders in today’s global society.

“The whole college is about leadership,” says LeAnna Rensi, director of the Gué Pardue Hudson Center for Leadership, Engagement and Service (CLES) at Agnes Scott. “Leadership is critical. It’s woven into all our divisions, from enrollment to development.”

Programs With Purpose

The CLES offers several programs and opportunities to help students lead in a variety of ways, from planning campus events and fostering student engagement to encouraging civic engagement and promoting global citizenship. Although the CLES is not directly related to academic teaching, Rensi notes, it’s still a critical component of an Agnes Scott education.

“We educate differently,” Rensi says. “We educate for professional success and emotional intelligence.”

The CLES houses two main programs designed to help students grow and develop their leadership skills.

Named after Chisholm’s famous quote, the Catalyst Leaders Fellows program is a recently revamped fouryear, cohort-based program. In the first year of the program, students explore their own values and passions. As students move into the second and third years of the program, they dig a little deeper into the concept of leadership and explore opportunities to manage a service project of their choosing. Finally, in the fourth year, students present their project to the campus and become educators and mentors to others.

As students move through the program, they participate in retreats and peer discussions on various topics, including working within diverse populations and having difficult conversations. Throughout the process, students reflect, analyze and act on their own leadership skills.

LeAnna Rensi, director of the Gué Pardue Hudson Center for Leadership, Engagement and Service

“The idea is that the same five students will progress together through their first year to their senior year,” says Rensi, who notes that students must apply for the program, which offers a $250 stipend each semester.

The second leadership program the CLES offers is Legacy: New Student Orientation. In this weeklong program, students are welcomed to campus and immediately begin their leadership journey with the help of their advisors. In doing so, they discover their

Claiming Her Place: Lindsey Garland Padget ’15 Director of Network Philanthropic Engagement, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

“Unparalleled mentorship and leadership opportunities at Agnes Scott helped me build the skills I use every day as a leader on the State Fiscal Policy team at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. I work to compel folks to invest their hard-earned resources into state and federal tax and budget advocacy. This work is more important than ever as our nation faces some of its most important and existential challenges that divide those who have historically benefited from structural inequity and racism and those who continue to be left behind and locked out of opportunities because of it.” abilities and a deeper sense of self. At the same time, they build relationships with their peers and strengthen their connection to the Agnes Scott community.

Advocating Through Leadership

Student-athlete Leilah Lewinson ’25 credits the leadership skills she has gained at Agnes Scott with helping her in her role as president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), which works to enhance the student-athlete experience on campus. After representing the tennis team on the SAAC for three years, Lewinson decided to run for president because she wanted to help get more student-athletes involved in the organization and increase its exposure on campus.

“One of my main goals is to always leave something better than I found it, and I think that by being SAAC president, I will be able to leave SAAC better than I found it,” Lewinson says.

As president, Lewinson has been working to address the misunderstandings and stigmas that exist around collegiate student athletes and highlight the importance of mental health. She notes that the experience has helped her understand that effective leaders listen as much as they speak.

“You can make comments, but you also need to have an ear to listen to other people,” she says.

Like Lewinson, Insherah Qazi ’26 took on a leadership role shortly after arriving on the Agnes Scott campus. She served as class president for two years before getting out of her comfort zone and running for president of the Student Government Association.

“It was something I was interested in in high school, but I just decided I really wanted to do it in college,” Qazi says. “It seemed like I could really make an impact. I’ve learned to take space for myself and make space for others.”

These opportunities are critical to helping students develop their skills and abilities, and Agnes Scott is committed to ensuring students are ready to lead on campus and in life.

“Leading everywhere is part of who Agnes Scott College is,” Rensi says.