March 5, 2024
By Janset Cinaz
Managing Editor
Leadership has been an essential aspect of my academic journey since I began high school. As I took on various leadership roles within my classes, clubs and community, my enthusiasm for enhancing my leadership abilities has only grown.
From Feb. 2-4, three of my classmates and I took part in a three-day conference organized by the New Jersey Elks, a fraternal group committed to charitable organizations and community involvement. The Elks Leadership Conference, which was attended by about 400 students from across the state, took place at Ocean Place Resort & Spa in Long Branch. After having a wonderful time at this conference last year, I requested to return to the conference this year.
The experience reshaped my perception of leadership through its amazing keynote addresses, speakers and workshops.
Now that I am a junior with increased leadership responsibilities, I found myself especially influenced by the lessons I learned at the conference. As I heard successful professionals from a variety of fields share their personal stories, I realized that leadership is about so much more than prestige and reputation.
Leadership is a skill that requires practice and learning, and it’s not something everyone naturally possesses.
Chris Bowers, a comedian at the conference, stood out as one of my favorites. He shared a childhood story from his elementary school days, recounting how a classmate caused chaos after getting a notebook wire stuck up his nose. With humor and theatricality, Bowers had the whole conference room of about 400 students laughing. He then related the story to leadership, explaining why one should stay calm and take action in stressful situations.
Bowers explained that the vice principal calmly handled the situation by carefully removing the wire from the child’s nose. The story conveyed his belief that leaders must remain composed and proactive, especially during chaotic times, to tackle and overcome challenges. Bower emphasized the importance of tackling difficulties systematically and addressing them one by one.
Bowers’ speech resonated with me the most because I found it personally relatable. Junior year is generally considered the most challenging year of high school. As a student juggling a part-time job with extracurricular activities and clubs, some days can indeed feel overwhelming and stressful.
Another speaker who made a significant impression on me was motivational speaker Doug Luffborough. Having experienced homelessness, he came from a disadvantaged background and navigated away from gang involvement.
Despite these challenges, Luffborough, who introduced himself as “Dr. Luff,” persevered through hard work and determination. In 1993, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Business and Human Resource Management at Northeastern University in Boston and served as the commencement speaker for his graduating class, which caught the attention of then-President Bill Clinton. Afterward, he received recommendation letters from two U.S. senators and earned a master’s degree at Harvard University Graduate School of Education. He recently completed his Ph.D. at the University of San Diego’s School of Leadership Studies with a concentration in Organizational Leadership and Educational Consulting.
Dr. Luff’s compelling personal journey served as a source of inspiration for me throughout the conference. His motivational leadership style left a lasting impact on me as I interacted with him during lunch breaks and attended his workshops.
During one of Dr. Luff’s workshops, participants assessed their leadership approaches. I discovered I embody a vision-based leadership style because I tend to focus on the bigger picture, spot themes and think about future results when decision-making. I quickly recognized the precision of my visionary leadership style when I realized that in both my club involvements and my job, I consistently maintain a forward-thinking approach. I naturally focus on the future, setting goals and exploring potential outcomes before making decisions, regardless of their scale.
Networking with other students who also have vision-based leadership styles was enjoyable and enlightening. It offered valuable chances to connect and have meaningful conversations.
My experience at the conference taught me that leadership is cultivated rather than inherent, meaning that leaders aren’t necessarily born with their abilities. Rather, they develop them over time. Leadership is a skill that requires practice and learning, and it’s not something everyone naturally possesses. Therefore, I strongly encourage my peers to participate in leadership conferences or workshops, whether it be in-person, virtual or through accessible resources like articles and videos.
I look forward to applying the lessons I learned about leadership and passing them along to future generations. I am so thankful to advisors Mr. Frew and Ms. Manzella for allowing me to represent LHS at this conference. I hope I am invited to return next year so I can continue nurturing my leadership skills and harnessing my leadership style.
