Why we LEAD the way

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign. [00:00:08] Speaker B: Welcome to the Sound Barrier, Northeast State's official podcast. This is your co host, Mackenzie Morgent, joined by my other co host, Thomas Wilson, coming live to you today from our Blountville campus in Basler Library. Thanks to our dean of libraries, Christemas, for allowing us to record. And in our conference room today, set up our own little studio here. Joining us is an incredible staff member heavily involved with what's known as the lead center here on campus at Northeast State. The lead center, that's for leadership, enrichment, access, discovery, and they're bringing meaningful opportunities to life here for our students. From leadership workshops to cultural events to mentorship programs, they're cultivating community in big ways. Brittany, thank you so much for joining us today on the sound Barrier. [00:00:59] Speaker C: Thank you so much for having me. [00:01:02] Speaker B: Great. And you know, you're heavily involved with the events. We see all sorts of events going on here on campus, you know, when the semester's going. But even in the summer months, things might slow down a little bit. But not for you all. You've got Bears Academy going on several other events right at the start of the semester with I lead mentorships. So let's dive in a little bit right now into what the lead center is up front. Leadership, enrichment, access, discovery. How do these themes tie in with the lead center's mission? [00:01:33] Speaker C: So the lead center's mission is to support every single student in their journey toward success, whatever that means for them. So we aren't here to say that it needs to look a certain way, that it needs to be about getting through classes. So we're here for academic and personal professional support as well. If students want to build professional skills, that's what we want to help them with. If they want to be empowered to join in the conversation, we are wanting to push them to lead it instead of just join in. [00:02:06] Speaker B: Amazing. So you are the ones showing these students like you don't just have to participate, but you can be leaders in several different areas of your life. You can pick up on skills and just communication skills, mentorship skills to, you know, be everything they want to be. What does that what kind of change have you seen in these students who have partaken in these workshops and these mentorship programs? [00:02:35] Speaker C: Well, I can definitely say I've seen some major changes in some students and some subtle changes in others. But usually they come out of our programs either feeling more connected with the people around them, having made friends in a work workshop or just by hanging out with a few people in a program, or they'll come out with just so much more confidence in their ability to do whatever task is ahead of them. So that might be learning how to give a speech in front of a group of people. Even though some people have come to me during events telling me that they were afraid that they were going to fail, they still felt like our programming was a safe environment to open up and make those mistakes before they have to try in a more academic setting. [00:03:25] Speaker B: And I love that. Like, you're creating a community not only of leaders, but you're saying it's okay to not be perfect, it's okay to learn and grow. That's what you're here for. You don't want perfect right in, right. Right off the bat. That's just not possible for anybody. [00:03:42] Speaker C: Right. [00:03:43] Speaker B: Cultivating that safe space and you can be yourself. That kind of authenticity, too, that I really like. [00:03:51] Speaker C: Well, thank you. I. I am very much like. I want our students to know that they are supported no matter what their goals are, no matter what their history is or what they have coming up. We just want them to know that there are people around campus that want to help out and are willing to listen if they want to talk. [00:04:13] Speaker B: Could we talk a little bit about some of the events and programs that happen through the lead center? What's offered to our students? [00:04:19] Speaker C: Yes. So as far as programs, you can never know what you'll run into at the lead center. So some of our programs are based around cultural things. So for example, last year we had students that had an opportunity to see native dances from a performer from the Cherokee tribe. We also had a soul food sampler for Black History Month. And that was a. A great, delicious offering of food. [00:04:47] Speaker A: Always a big hit. Yes. [00:04:50] Speaker C: And we typically do movie days on Thursdays and have video games available for students to play on Tuesdays. We have a fantastic leadership COHORT program called ILEAD, which has been led by Dr. Naya Rambi and Mary Beth Oxentine in career services. And they have been fantastic. They have taught etiquette literally to the point of which fork to use for a certain point in your meal, things like that, through that program. But professional, like, goals are what they are truly focused on with ilead. So they're helping you prepare for elevator pitch speeches so that you can get your foot in the door places. And there are some awesome rewards for participating in these programs, too. I know. Last semester in our elevator pitch contest, the first place winner walked away with a check for $500. [00:05:51] Speaker B: So, okay, that's. That's books. That's a semester of books. Or a year. [00:05:57] Speaker C: Oh, absolutely. Yeah. [00:05:59] Speaker B: I mean, or, you know, some nice new clothes for business casual clothes. That's. That's a big deal. Yeah. [00:06:05] Speaker C: Time to build that professional wardrobe. Absolutely. [00:06:09] Speaker B: And you know, I. You mentioned like movie days on Tuesday. Where's this space at that you all do this in? Is that at the lead center? Can you talk a little bit about that space? [00:06:18] Speaker C: Oh, absolutely. Well, so the lead center is. It's the hub of all operations for what we do. So most of our programming is there, though. We definitely have things in other locations on campus, but it's just a really cozy space. We have couches, a little TV. I could say little, but it's like 85 inches. A really laid back atmosphere. And we've got snacks, a communal fridge. So if students bring their lunch to campus and don't know where to put it, they can write their name on it and put it in our communal fridge. We have free snacks that people can just come up and grab if they forgot lunch. If they don't want to pay for something at the cafe, they're welcome to just stop in anytime. And we welcome everyone. So all students at Northeast State should just feel welcome to stop by the lead center. [00:07:18] Speaker A: What do you hear from students that. That's kind of an adjustment or any. A unique thing that they experience when they get here on campus and they come to college? What, what are things that you hear from them that kind of surprise them the most or they're kind of the happiest? I. I guess to. To be a part of when they, when they come to lead the lead center? [00:07:39] Speaker C: Well, I truly have found that just knowing the resources that are available to them, that's something that a lot of students either when they hear it in orientation, it's a big, long presentation and they tune out a little bit. Or some of these programs have started after they started their time at Northeast State. So letting them know about all of the different things that are out there. Support systems, as well as programs like FIPC and C Campus that can support them with basic needs or child care during their time in class. A lot of students that meet with us at the lead center say that they weren't aware of any of these things until we sat and talked with them. And we're like, you walk by it every day. So it's nice to point those resources out for them. But I also try to get them in contact with somebody in those offices just because I don't want them to feel like I'm pushing them off to somebody else. I Want them to know that I'm still there if they need to come back to me if they have any questions. [00:08:44] Speaker A: Do you find that students coming to the lead center need that support more than just academic tutoring support that a lot of students need kind of an emotional support base when they come to college, and a lot of times, sometimes this may be the only support base they have. Do you find. Do you see that a lot? [00:09:03] Speaker C: Absolutely. And that's something that I'm trying to work on for this upcoming semester, just to have more programs that will enable students to feel a stronger sense of belonging. So a lot of our programs have been structured around, like, educational things. And of course they will remain educational, but just giving them an opportunity to make friends that have similar interests and things like that is a huge focus for the next year. [00:09:32] Speaker B: And, you know, I've kind of seen it from the outside myself. Like, when I go and I take pictures, like group pictures at the Stol Dawning, for example, I see just community that has been formed throughout the year. Like, the. The dawning of the stalls is kind of a culmination at the end of the year. You know, you should celebrate students who have been through the leed, who have been through a lot of programs offered through the lead center. You're celebrating those students and showing, like, hey, like, we're still supporting you even after you go on and find bigger and better, you know, past Northeast State, whether that be transferring to a university, starting their careers out in the workforce. You all still, at the end of the year, like, are showing these students, like, we're still with you for the ride along the way. We're always here for you to come back to. And I've seen students come back to campus like, they're no longer students here, but they have found that community. And it's just amazing that you are able to foster that and to grow it. And could you just talk to me a little bit about maybe a success story from a student? Just maybe a success story that has really stuck with you that you've seen? [00:10:46] Speaker C: Yes, I do. And I haven't run this by the student, so I will speak very vaguely, but I did have a student that I worked with who would come to me consistently just to talk about random things. And they were often a little bit silly or fun, but I had a good time talking with her. And so the more I got to know, the more I just kind of saw, like, she doesn't feel like she has that support anywhere else on campus. So coming to just talk to me about random things that she saw on the Internet over the weekend. That was a big deal for her. And the fact that someone was listening and engaging with those conversations meant even more. She was just the kindest person. She would jump in to help other students. After just one semester, people told me that they saw a major difference in her. Her professors were telling me that, wow, this has changed her life. But I am. I'm just so proud of her because after one semester of working with her, she went from just attending class when she felt like it to being here regularly visiting the center all the time, talking with people at the center, making new friends, going on school trips. She went on several of the trips. And, like, I am just so proud of the person that she's become. And she is on her way to ETSU to become a social worker. [00:12:15] Speaker B: That's a cycle. And it was. She was able to make that connection, and she felt that that connection was real. [00:12:25] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:12:26] Speaker B: Is what helped her. That's amazing. [00:12:28] Speaker C: Yes. And I. I have to share because I. I saw a lot of myself in this student. I was. You might not believe it, but I was a little bit of a troublemaker in high school and even part of college, and there were definitely some people that didn't have the highest opinion of me, but I just pushed through that. So knowing that, I wish I had someone that could have said, like, just because you're different, it doesn't mean this is bad. So that's what I did for her. Amazing. [00:13:02] Speaker B: And now she's gonna go on and she's going to continue that cycle. Like, she'll be able to eventually make connections and see herself in other people in the future and be able to be able to make that connection and help them. I mean, that's. That's life changing. I love that. I love that she could find that. I love that she has that passion, is able to continue her education and is able to go out and make a really, like, a difference in this world. A difference. And it's about connection. It really is. And you are fostering connection. You're fostering community. And so let's dive in to maybe a student. They feel disconnected here. They don't know where to begin, but they're. They're scared. But they want a change. They want to join something. They want to build connection. What would you say to students like that, you know, about maybe joining Lead center, dropping in on an event, dropping in the room just during lunchtime when other Lead center students who are also involved or, you know, just eating lunch and Just talking. [00:14:11] Speaker C: Oh, I would say go for it. We don't buy at all. And our. We have an amazing team of student staff who monitor the lead center and they're there to help out. If they don't know the answer or they don't know how to help you, then they'll direct you to either myself or our success coach. And we'll do everything we can in our professional powers to do whatever we can to help you reach your goal. [00:14:41] Speaker B: Do you incorporate student feedback into event planning? How do you all decide, like, what goes on? [00:14:46] Speaker A: Interested in that also? [00:14:48] Speaker C: Yeah. So we actually use student feedback for every single step of program development. So depending on what convert or what notes people will leave for us at check in when they visit the lead center, we always ask for any students who want to leave feedback to do so. But usually they'll just type in their 900 number and be on their way. But anytime we see a comment, we act on it as little as like last semester I saw the comment, I wish there were Cosmic Brownies. So I went and bought Cosmic Brownies to stock in the center. [00:15:26] Speaker B: That student has taste. Let me tell you, whoever, if you requested the Cosmic Brownies, you've got taste. [00:15:32] Speaker C: Good for you. Yes, but I mean, literally just something as small as like what food we have in the center. We don't want to buy things that nobody wants to eat. So hey, students, let us know what you would like to have as snacks in the lead center. But with programs that we offer, we have feedback forms that we send to students or give at the end of each event so that we know when we're planning the next one. We can incorporate that feedback from students. So it could be something as little as like, I wish y' all didn't talk as often or something like that. [00:16:11] Speaker B: Okay, let's talk in more fun. [00:16:13] Speaker C: Yeah, but sometimes, like the. The feedback is really, really insightful. And that's how we all grow is like learning from mistakes or from things that we've missed. So we want that from students. [00:16:23] Speaker B: About the student, built by the students, really, essentially, is this program, do we. [00:16:28] Speaker A: Have events on other campuses at this point or are there events planned possibly for other campuses and for this upcoming fall semester? [00:16:39] Speaker C: So that is a really huge goal for us is to be recognized on other campuses and be able to have regular programming. So far, we've only worked with the Kingsport campus to offer Ilead last semester, and we hope to be able to do it again this upcoming semester. Just based on the interest on Kingsport's campus. [00:17:02] Speaker B: Can we dive more into like the elevator pitch, because I think that's like, what does that entail? What does that competition even look like, really? [00:17:11] Speaker C: Oh, it's. It's awesome. It's. So elevator pitches are like a 32nd or so speech that you give to promote yourself. So whether that would be your personal interests and goals or it's whatever you want, want to tailor to who you're speaking towards. So, for example, if you were to run into a CEO of a business that you wanted to work for in an elevator, what would you say in those 30 seconds? To sell yourself, to really make yourself seem like someone that they want on their team. So working through those, we kind of give an outline of. Here are some things that you should include, like your major or things that you're passionate about, things like that. And then students just build it themselves and they submit their elevator pitch speech. And once those are reviewed, we have a competition where they present them in front of everybody. Oh, I know, I know. [00:18:18] Speaker B: We have to memorize it or. [00:18:20] Speaker C: So they are asked to memorize parts, but they don't have to. It's one of those, like, if you read off a card, it doesn't look as good as if you have to just kind of glance for some notes occasionally. But I know we had some students who got a little bit nervous and things like that. But that is another big thing with our programs is it's okay to be nervous. I am. I get nervous all the time. Public speaking? Yes. [00:18:49] Speaker B: Yes. [00:18:50] Speaker C: And that's. We're all just people at Northeast State. That's. That's actually something that I've tried to work into programming for next semester is just having an opportunity to talk with staff and faculty. Maybe these are people that they didn't even know worked here. But in connection with a lot of our cultural heritage celebrations, I've invited staff and faculty to just sit and have a little roundtable chat with students about what their culture means to them and how it impacted them and their path on the. [00:19:30] Speaker A: On the elevator speeches. Also, there's like a mentorship, mentorship program with several of the students. How do you recruit those mentors? And I don't know if some of them come from the Northeast State foundation, some of the board members there, or some. Some members there, or where do the mentors come from and how do they kind of interact with students? [00:19:49] Speaker C: I will say that I know very little about mentor recruitment for Ilead because I had hopped in right after all of that was done for semester. But I know that Demissa has Some contacts with like summit leadership and things like that. And so she talks with them and they can recommend a few people, local businesses as well. But she also has several, like staff and faculty members from Northeast State. So if any staff or faculty are interested in mentoring an ilead, that might be something that she's seeking more of in the upcoming semester. [00:20:30] Speaker B: And we can use this time to reflect, too. Like, what event this last semester saw this, like, I guess the largest turnout and like, what was, I guess, what you would deem as the most successful event this past semester? [00:20:47] Speaker C: Okay, so it wasn't. It wasn't the most successful in that the most people attended or anything like that. But I really want to highlight this because it was a student initiative. And so as far as attendance, our food events have the most attendance. We usually have a couple hundred people that sign in for each of those. And, well, you said it yourself, it's always good for you. [00:21:16] Speaker A: It's a huge. Oh, yes. You were never disappointed. It's a home run every time. [00:21:21] Speaker C: But aside from that, last year we had a student. And I'm just going to do a little shout out to Kristen because she's one of my lead center associates. But Kristin saw after the hurricane that there was an issue. Like, she talked with a lot of her peers and they were all struggling. People needed assistance with food and with all kinds of things. And being so close to the holidays, she came to me and said, what can we do to help? And I told her, like, I don't think we can do anything a week before Thanksgiving, but maybe we could look at next semester. So she really was boots on the ground. She orchestrated the development of our Feaster basket. I remember that. Yeah. Yes. So we just worked with Second Harvest and had about 78 students that signed up for food. So we were able to just have them drive by and we put things like all the supplies in their trunk. They didn't even have to get out. It was fantastic. [00:22:27] Speaker A: Beautiful. [00:22:28] Speaker B: Had no idea that was student led. Amazing. [00:22:30] Speaker C: Inspiring. I'm also going to shout out to our volunteers for that event because Volunteer Northeast really stepped up and so many students came out to help with that. [00:22:43] Speaker A: Volunteer Northeast, Andrea Amos. [00:22:45] Speaker B: Yes. [00:22:46] Speaker A: And friends, a friend of the show. We must say we've had Andrea on as a guest. [00:22:49] Speaker C: I feel like she's a friend of everyone, if you know her amazing hearts. Yeah. Yeah. She cares so much about students and she's even doing Bears Academy sessions for us. Yeah. She has been teaching students about the importance of syllabi. [00:23:06] Speaker B: But looking forward, I mean, You've got one Bears Academy down this summer, but you've got another cohort coming up. Yes. What's that look like? And what's that going to until. [00:23:14] Speaker C: Yes. [00:23:14] Speaker B: Is it too late to join, by the way? Is it too late to sign up? [00:23:17] Speaker C: Oh, it is not too late to sign up. We actually have. Well, we've got posters all over campus. Yes. So it is not too late to sign. Students can send an email to me at bmwick w I c kortheaststate.edu to get signed up. I'm happy to send that link, but we're hoping to have it on our website soon as well. Sweet. [00:23:43] Speaker B: Perfect. And what is Bears Academy? [00:23:46] Speaker C: So Bears Academy is an opportunity for incoming students to really dive into what Northeast State has to offer. I know we spoke about students not knowing that resources were out there for them. So a huge part of our programming is visiting different offices on campus and learning about what they do so that students already know the location and the face of workers that can help them when they start on campus. We also do a little bit of public speaking and some practice with D2L. So students are going to be responsible for writing an I am from poem, which is really just something that encapsulates their upbringing and what they are bringing with them to college and what inspires them to persist toward graduation. So that's always wonderful. And then students perform those poems by just doing a nice reading on one of the final days of the program. So it gives everyone an opportunity to learn really deeply about the people that they've been just hanging out with. But I think my favorite part of Bears Academy, other than the food, because we always have good food. It's just seeing how on day one, everybody comes in, like, seeming a little bit unsure. They're not. They're like, I don't know what I'm doing here. I don't know what I'm about to learn. I'm a little nervous. And at the end of the day when I send them home, they're like, do I have to go home? That really makes me so happy. I know with our June cohort, it was a small group, but they were all fantastic. And on it's just a three day program, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. But on that Wednesday, as we were wrapping up and saying our goodbyes, they just kept talking about how awful and unfortunate it was that they weren't coming back tomorrow. And that made me feel like I've really done something here to help them. [00:25:53] Speaker A: Definitely. Yes. [00:25:55] Speaker B: Mission accomplished. [00:25:56] Speaker C: Yes. [00:25:56] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:25:58] Speaker B: So the first cohort Was that for. That wasn't for adult learners. Was that for a traditional. So then this next one will be adult, but anyone can join? [00:26:06] Speaker C: Oh, yes. So anyone can join. And they are flip flopped. So the first cohort, we realize it might be a little bit easier to catch those high school students after they have the summer to think about what they're going to be doing. So our our first cohort was non traditional students, but we definitely had a couple of students that were fresh out of high school in the group. And we encourage any non traditional students who are curious about it to sign up for our August program. Like, there are certainly more students that are fresh out of high school signed up for that event. But we have a lot of non traditional students already too. [00:26:46] Speaker B: Aside from Bears Academy. That's happened in August. When we hit the ground running in fall. Once a semester starts up again, what kind of events do we have to look forward to this year? [00:26:56] Speaker C: Well, so we of course are going to continue giving good food to people, just as always. I think if we didn't do that, there'd be riots. But we actually received a grant for a new program over the summer and it was would be a time management program. Something that really gets students thinking about failure and realizing that, hey, this is a great opportunity to learn and grow. Not this is the end of the world and I have no way to recover from this because you do and you have support and there are people who will help you get through it after you take a deep breath. So we also do some stress management techniques and things like that. I was able to pilot the program last semester as a program called Oops, I Did it again. [00:27:54] Speaker A: Yeah, it's Drew a movie yesterday. [00:27:56] Speaker C: That was you? Yes. And a lot of the students really enjoy it. We did a session on just progressive muscle relaxation and stress management. And so we got to go through like a guided meditation. And after those 20 minutes, everyone was like, oh, that was great. We should do these more often. So it's really just to equip students with the tools that they will need to succeed in college. Personally, professionally. I mean, these are also things that will come in handy in your personal life. Knowing how to schedule events and not double book yourself can come in huge handy when you have lots and lots of friends. Yes. Another program that I'm really excited about getting started with. I know I mentioned doing some things just to strengthen community. We are going to start a small Dungeons and Dragons group. So right now we're calling it Pen and Sword and we're just kind of working toward teaching students about how to play, how to fill out a character sheet and all the educational parts essentially. So all the math they're going to have to do, we want to have them prepared for that. And the plan is to do a one shot during the fall semester, but during the spring semester to have larger sessions on a more regular basis. [00:29:28] Speaker B: Wow, you are so multifaceted, like in what you do and what you provide for students. And also the stress thing is so important. Stress can have like detrimental impacts on your physical health. I don't know if you all know that, but heightened stress, heightened cortisol, heightened really bad cholesterol, really bad for your heart. So like stress management, so important. Anxiety. And, you know, I don't know anybody who's gone through college without coming across stress and anxiety. So learning how to manage that move forward, so important. [00:30:01] Speaker C: If there is anyone listening who has made it through college without any stress or anxiety, reach out to me. Yeah, please tell us how you did it. Please. Yes. [00:30:15] Speaker A: There's a book that you walk. We walk by the library here shelf every day and the library staff put out these books that some do months and some do events. There's a book out there called the Body keeps Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk. Would highly recommend reading that for stress effects on the body. [00:30:34] Speaker B: Who can participate in Lead center of mind? Brittany. [00:30:38] Speaker C: So any students of Northeast State can participate in Lead center events. Our food events, staff, faculty, you all are welcome to attend. I know sometimes people will say, I just wasn't sure if I could have it. Staff, faculty, we are here to support you as well. So as far as some of our cohort programs, though, those do have to be signed up for in advance. And all of our flyers, if we ever have anything that you have to register for, we'll mention it. And we usually will also have a cutoff date on that flyer so you'll know exactly what your time limits are first thing. [00:31:24] Speaker B: And you're located in the student services building on our Blountville campus. Yes. Usually there are tons of flyers around for events just around the Lead center with all those QR codes to register to sign up for different things. And then you all are pretty good about getting those spread out on campus too. I've seen some in the library. [00:31:42] Speaker C: Yeah, Just keep, keep an eye out if you see Lead center on any flyers. [00:31:48] Speaker B: Colorful tree that's in your logo with the bear paws. Yeah, yeah. So when you see that colorful tree with all the colorful bear paw leaves, that stats Lead Center. [00:31:58] Speaker C: I love that. Logo. It's so cute. [00:32:00] Speaker B: It is. [00:32:01] Speaker C: It's a cute, fun and it really just shows how no matter who we are or how different we are, we all come together to make something awesome. [00:32:11] Speaker A: Truly, truly. [00:32:13] Speaker B: This has been a good episode. We have been over a bunch of different events. What does the lead center mean? What does it offer? So, Brittany, thank you so much for joining us on the lead center today. [00:32:26] Speaker A: Support community development. The lead center pretty much. Well, doesn't pretty much. It does. It embodies everything Northeast state hopes to do for every single student. And as we said, Brittany and everybody at the lead center, you all certainly embody that and kind of the spirit of Northeast State every, every day with all your events. Thank you so much for joining us today. It's been a really a real pleasure. We've been trying to get you on for a while. It happened and we were thrilled to have you on today. [00:32:53] Speaker C: I am so glad that you all invited me to come out and I got to sign the poster. I was so excited about that. [00:33:00] Speaker A: It's got a few signatures on there. Yeah. We were very, very privileged to have you sign it and thrilled to have you here. Well, that's it for another episode of the sound barrier, folks. You can check it out on Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, or the northeastate. Edu. Go to northeastate. Edu. Search sound barrier. You'll find us. We're out there on all your favorite streaming services. Subscribe, leave a review. Listen to this and many other great episodes that we've got coming up with a sound barrier. We'll start a whole new season coming up this fall with some great guests and great issues to talk about. Until then, tune into the sound barrier, keep subscribing, keep listening, and we'll talk to you again soon. [00:33:42] Speaker B: Sam.