The Student Leadership Center serves as a comprehensive, centralized connection point for students, staff and faculty to access leadership opportunities on campus and in the greater San Antonio community. Our programs, activities and resources help students develop into leaders committed to life-long learning, community engagement and active citizenship. Below are a few upcoming and/or new programs.

Civil Rights and Social Justice Trip

The program allows for UTSA students to become immersed in the history of the Civil Rights Movement. Students visit historical markers such as the 9th Ward, the Civil Rights Institute, 16th Street Baptist Church, Kelly Ingram Park and the National Civil Rights Museum. The trip concludes with students participating in the MLK March back in San Antonio, TX.

Leadership PowerHour

The Leadership PowerHour is the Student Leadership Center’s newest on-campus initiative, aimed at extending our office’s reach and impacts. PowerHour programs will be set up at various locations across campus on the 3rd Tuesday of each month, providing quick connection opportunities with a focus on practical leadership competencies. We foresee formalizing these sessions somewhat later in the year, but initially they will be structured as informational tabling events and accommodate reserved attendees as well as drop-ins.

Intramural Coffee Social

The Intramural Coffee Social (9/14 & 9/15) has been another recent effort to bring new students into our program office. With a play on the intramural team concept, we morphed this into an open house coffee reception. Recently, we had about 30 students - who had otherwise never visited us - come through our doors in one day!

LeaderShape Reunion

We recently hosted our annual LeaderShape Reunion, bringing together students, staff and alumni who participated in all five previous sessions of the annual UTSA LeaderShape Institute. Attendees discussed the ways in which they were continuing to lead “with integrity and a healthy disregard for the impossible.” Below are a few of the students’ testimonial comments from the event.

Like so many Student Affairs programs, the work itself is very gratifying, but it's always a treat when student feedback reinforces the value of our efforts, such as these comments from our recent LeaderShape Reunion:

• “LeaderShape is an opportunity to look deeper into yourself and allows you to identify what motivates you to succeed. It’s truly about finding your passion and how you plan to use those passions to impact the world.” (Sam Ayoade, Class of ’17, Sports Marketing Major)
• “LeaderShape taught me what it means to distinguish oneself as a true leader through maintaining personal values, interacting with others, and leading with integrity. It dramatically changed the way in which I define leadership and the uses to which leadership can be put to use. I learned a great deal about myself, such as my strengths and weaknesses, self-worth, and what motivates me, as well as a great deal about others. Most importantly, I made positive connections and friendships with my fellow LeaderShape graduates which I will keep for life.” (Katie Herbert, class of ’16 Interdisciplinary Studies Major)
• “LeaderShape helped me work on my goals and find myself.” (Jason Williams, Class of ’16, Computer Science Major)

Submitted by —
Eliot Howard
Associate Director,
Student Leadership Center