Honored to be featured in the LSU Olinde Career Center ‘s leadership highlight! Two quotes from my interview about leadership were featured in this video:
- "The biggest lesson I’ve learned about leadership is the importance of taking initiative and always having a bias toward action."
- "At a certain point, you go, 'I’ve done my planning, let’s go.'"
These words came to life in the project that kicks off this video, something that multiple more seasoned LSU Student Government Senators told me couldn’t be done due to the complexity of its planning and the difficulty of its implementation. For years, students had been frustrated by broken bike pumps around campus, and the need to fix them had been repeatedly discussed. My idea? Not only to fix the broken bike pumps across campus, but to go further by installing repair stations. These stations provide a way for cyclists to maintain their bikes so they don’t need to haul a toolbox to campus just to keep their bikes in working order.
Despite advice to steer clear, I saw the need and chose to act. And let me tell you, it took a lot more action than I anticipated!
The key wasn’t in doing more initial planning than those who came before me – it was in relentless execution, both before and after the funding was secured through the Senate. Securing the funding through the Senate was just the beginning. After passing the spending bill, it took hours of multi-department stakeholder meetings, what felt like nearly 100 follow-up emails, and a steadfast refusal to get bogged down in bureaucratic red tape. But in the end, we got it done.
The bicycle repair stations are now installed across campus, and this project helped teach me something invaluable: leadership isn’t just about having a vision—it’s about rolling up your sleeves and doing the hard work to bring that vision to life.
That’s what real leadership is: not waiting for the perfect moment but creating it through effective action and unyielding perseverance. 🚴♂️💡
A big thanks to the legislation’s Co-sponsor Nicole Monceaux who’s currently in the running for LSU Homecoming Queen. Also, thank you to everyone who pitched in to help turn this idea into a reality to deliver another tangible result for our campus community. Watch the short video to also hear the lessons from other Louisiana State University student leaders like Anna Catherine Strong, Sybil Pun, Zachary Bonser, Annie Sheehan-Dean, and Kennedy H. Carter. Geaux Tigers!
#lsu #leadership #action #plan #lead #implement #mentality
Leadership is a core skill that LSU students graduate with. From leading classroom discussions to serving in a leadership position on campus, students gain this valuable skill in a variety of ways. Learn more about Ready to Roar and Leadership: https://ow.ly/Y98450TAbGU
