Jenks Leadership Program
Ashton Gillespie and Cody Baker
In January, student directors (Class of 2018) Cody Baker ’18 and Ashton Gillespie ’18 attended the 2018 Leadership Conference at the United States Naval Academy. The theme of this year’s conference was Breaking Barriers: Obstacles are Opportunities. They heard from many speakers including Navy SEALs, a former Blue Angel, business leaders, and Naval Academy leadership, and the conference’s Forrestal panel that featured the Honorable Richard B. Cheney, the Honorable Madeleine Albright, and General James Conway. Though each speaker contributed unique ideas, there were four principles that the speakers universally recognized as the keys to being a successful leader: i) beliefs, ii) vision, iii) vulnerability, and iv) focus.
Class of 2018 Jenks Graduation
Joe Bonito and Susan Kourtis
Susan Kourtis ’18 was the Jenks Class of 2018 Joseph G. Bonito Servant Leadership Award recipient. Susan was chosen by Jenks Class of 2018 student directors Ashton Gillespie ’18 and Cody Baker ’18 for embodying the Ignatian mindset of “finding God in all things.” According to Gillespie, Susan sees good and potential in everything and everyone, she is genuine and sincere in her desire to make the world a better place, and exemplifies the Jenks motto of “leadership for service, service for others” in her everyday life.
Class of 2018 Projects
The Kids for Healthy Minds team created lesson plans for elementary school teachers to help them talk proactively and positively about mental health with their students. The Building Bridges: Mattapan Teen Center and Boston College team facilitated a forum for BC students to share their perspectives on high school, the college process, and their experiences at BC as people of color with students at the Mattapan Teen Center. The Jenks X Boston Medical Center team redesigned a waiting room space for children at BMC that fosters a positive, educational, and comfortable hospital experience. The Rosie’s Place Arts Initiative brought music and crafts to an underprivileged community where residents were encouraged and inspired to use the arts for personal expression. The Bursting the Bubble: Expanding the Service Culture at BC team created an online matching module to make it easier for clubs on campus to share their talents with those in need in the Greater Boston area. Working with BC Bigs, a campus-based mentoring program where “Little Brothers and Sisters” from the Franklin Field Housing Development in Dorchester come to campus to do activities with their “Big Brothers and Sisters,” the Little Impacts: Teaching Littles a Sustainable Lifestyle team created a program designed to increase awareness of environmental issues.