The Student-Leader Conundrum

By Katy Krupinsky

According to the *very* reliable source of Wikipedia, a student leader is someone who “strives to change the world by starting with their own community.”  I’m not sure I completely buy that definition; however, it makes me laugh, because, while student leadership does involve making changes to better the community, it means SO much more than just that to me.

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The student-leader conundrum

I wish I could say that being a student leader is all sunshine and rainbows and that these roles are just like any other leadership position.  However, student leadership is unique because you must simultaneously wear two hats – the student and the leader. Let me explain –

On the one hand, you are a student.  You struggle to find motivation to complete assignments and complain about having to show up to that 8am class.  You get annoyed when “the powers that be” send yet another email that you are going to delete without reading and are sad when you can’t get into the classes/sections you want because your Wi-Fi was a little too slow. You worry about your future after graduation and become overwhelmed by the sheer number of expectations that come with graduate school.

On the other hand, you are a leader.  You get to serve in a role in which you can shape the future of an organization and advocate for your community. You are given the amazing opportunity to make changes for the better within the community culture and create events that allow your peers to connect with one another and grow as individuals. You have at your fingertips university resources and funds which were seemingly overnight bestowed to you.

Some people can wear these two hats one at a time and separate these roles of student and leader; however, if you are anything like me, these roles constantly overlap and it’s almost impossible to keep them distinct.

As a student leader, you are seen as an extension of administration and a role model among your peers.  You constantly feel you are being watched and expected to perfectly respond in alignment with your role as a student leader regardless of your personal thoughts or how you would act if you didn’t have this title.  From touchy situations in class or in GroupMe’s to navigating the relationships with your advisors who also happen to be your professors, you are expected to be a leader when, sometimes, all you want to do is just be a student without having the weight of an organization behind you. 

Without a manual or any sort of instructions, you must figure out how to live out two identities which, at times, require opposing ideas and actions. You must satisfy your expectations for yourself as a student and rectify them with your responsibilities as a leader – something which is no easy task.  

The student-leader opportunity

Being a student leader has its challenges and, at times, feels like more effort than it’s worth.  However, I would argue that these unique student leadership challenges are not really problems, rather, a set of amazing opportunities.

At the start of last semester, to be honest, I was starting to think that student leadership was more effort than it’s worth.  However, by the end, my outlook had changed completely because of a conversation with Dr. Christensen-Lindquist. 

I had come to her asking for advice on how to rectify my role as a student and a leader when faced with a duty for my leadership role that I didn’t personally agree with. We talked about many relating to what it means to be a student leader; however, she gave me one piece of advice that still sticks with me because it completely changed the way that I look at tackling this student-leader conundrum. 

She told me that, while we may try, its simply impossible to ignore the fact that the different hats we wear in our lives impact how we act in every role we hold.  Further, there is absolutely nothing wrong with letting one role inform the other – it makes us better and is likely why we were chosen for those roles in the first place. 

In saying this, she made me realize, that student leadership is an amazing opportunity because you can leverage your perspective as a student and use it to make you a stronger and more impactful leader.

One of the great things about being a leader as a student is that you have a level of access to administration which allows you to enact real change within the school.  However, unlike faculty or staff, as a student leader you also have the perspective and access of a student. You get to tread the line between administration and the student body to make immense impact and progress.  And even more, you can enact change which will not only impact you and your academic/social community directly, but also leave a legacy which will last long after you have left and graduated.

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While at times challenging, student leadership is something to which I am forever grateful that I have been able to get involved in and something that I highly encourage everyone to try out.  From the late nights drafting emails and getting approvals, to the moments when you get to see someone find their voice because of your work, student leadership is something which has changed my life in so many ways.

I can’t quite say I feel like I have successfully “striven to change the world by starting with my own community”; but I for sure can say that I have learned a lot along the way.

If you are interested in getting involved in student leadership, you can find a list of all of the student organizations at Rollins here.  The organizations are filled with individuals who are passionate about their organizations and are excited to hear from you.  Want to help lead a community which doesn’t already have an organization? Reach out to one of the Rollins Program Coordinators for Student Engagement or Rollins Student Government Association to learn more about the process for founding an organization.

Katy is a current second-year Epidemiology MPH student.  Within the Rollins community, she serves as one of the RSGA epidemiology student representatives and the secretary of the RSGA DEI committee.

Featured Image by Jehyun Sung on Unsplash