Through the LeADERS program at Old Dominion University, students can enroll in courses and experiences in Leadership, Academic Internship, Diversity, Entrepreneurship, Research, or Service Learning. Over the last five years, I’ve completed numerous courses through the LeADERS program, which has given me valuable expertise in the various fields necessary. It enabled me to have my achievements recognized and acknowledged by the university, for which I worked hard every semester. My ePortfolio shares my experiences in the different areas of Leadership, Diversity, Entrepreneurship, Research, and Service Learning, all of which have helped me grow personally and professionally.

Joining the LeADERS program in Spring 2023 was the best decision because it not only adds a great opportunity to your resume for companies to see, it also brings new skills and knowledge that you can use in both your personal and professional life, such as communication, being an excellent leader in life, teamwork, adaptability, problem-solving, processing complicated concepts, and many other areas. The main reason why I decided to enroll in the program and complete five of the areas is because I wanted to develop my leadership abilities in addition to honing my abilities as a future engineer. This LeADERS program helped me to improve my abilities, to distinguish myself from other people, and set new challenges and goals that I often felt were impossible to achieve. So I can say that in these last five years, I do not regret having been able to apply.

It’s a common misconception that engineering students lack leadership experience; however, this is not the case. Throughout the last five years, my career has provided me with a variety of unexpected situations, difficulties, and collaborations that have astonished me and taught me how to be a better leader. This program has improved my leadership skills in my classes by teaching me to be patient, communicate with my team constantly, be honest when things aren’t working, listen to other people’s perspectives, and think things through before making big decisions. I can admit that it was challenging to identify all the new abilities I had acquired over the years, but the classes and program experience taught me that nothing is perfect, and that mistakes will always be made; what matters is knowing how to respond to them and find solutions.

I am sharing the knowledge I have gained from each course I have taken during my five years as an ODU student by creating my ePortfolio. I realize that all the courses I have taken have contributed to my intellectual and academic development. For example, in the Leadership and Service Learning categories, the learning I obtained from these two is how to be a better leader by going to talks and contributing my service to the donation sites that this program offers by demonstrating tools, behavior, accomplishment, and helping those who need it most. Unlike Diversity, Entrepreneurship, and Research, which were classes that added new skills and experiences to my previous knowledge. When I combine these five areas, I realize that I have grown professionally and personally, and I am ready to use all my skills. I know it won’t be easy, but I am prepared to face any challenge with my new knowledge and tools.