Leadership Conference Life-Changing for Staff, Too

By Editor Ken Harvey

The award-winning Student Leadership Program had to shift its state conference site and its schedule this year because of remodeling at its usual Central Washington University location. Consequently, 16 of its 25 volunteer staff members were also new.

The new small-group facilitators had one afternoon at Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake to prepare to teach the three-day program before the students arrived. The facilitators were nervous and anxious about how they would do.

I know. I was one of them.

Despite 15 years of teaching experience, this was different. I knew the track record of this program. I had heard hundreds of past student participants tell how life-changing it was for them. Could I provide our group of students with such a life-changing experience?

Other new facilitators and chaperones felt similarly.

"My first thought was, ‘What in the world!!!’ I was excited to meet the students but didn't feel confident I could deliver the curriculum to them," says Cristina Gaeta, executive assistant at the Washington Education Foundation.

"Wow, will I be able to do this?" thought Yolanda VanScoy, a bilingual teacher for Naches Valley School District. "It felt like my first day of teaching. Scary! I didn't know what to expect."

Lucia Ramos, graduation specialist at Sunnyside High School, was especially nervous because she had never even been to a Student Leadership Conference before.

"I did not really know what to expect. I further did not know if I could facilitate an environment in which students were able to learn about leadership while developing a network of people they can continue to get motivated by."

Rafael Cisneros is not an educator but rather a project engineer for dB Control Co. in Fremont, Calif. He took the time and traveled nearly 2,000 miles round trip at his own expense because he personally knew the value of the program. He had been one of the student participants when he was in high school.

"I was nervous. I felt a little insecure in my ability to motivate the students into going to college," he says.

Even Alejandro Vergara, a curriculum specialist for Migrant Education Regional Office 171, "was a little hesitant. My experience with high school students is pretty minimal in the educational setting."

But even with just a few hours of preparation, the curriculum carried the new facilitators to success. The Leadership Conference curriculum, developed over the past 20 years by the Secondary Education for Migrant Youth (SEMY) office, uses fun, student-centered learning activities that help participants improve their skills in communications, problem-solving, leadership, risk-taking, goal-setting, and community service.

"I love the curriculum and techniques we used. Everything is so useful to the students. They really learn a lot about themselves and gain the tools to have better and brighter futures. It is also simple, so they understand and can relate to the different activities," says Adelina Grageda, an outreach and retention specialist for the Eastern Washington University CAMP Program.

"Addie" is a former migrant student and was my co-facilitator. She and our group’s two chaperones – Jose Esparza and Ray Treviño -- made my experience much easier and more successful. Likewise, each group of 9-10 migrant students had a team of four co-facilitators and chaperones assigned to work with them, along with other support staff.

But new facilitators still gave a lot of the credit to the curriculum itself.

"The techniques on how to solve problems and how to continue to sharpen those leadership skills have been very beneficial to students. Most students were surprised at how they were already using the SLIDE problem-solving technique," says Ms. Ramos.

"The curriculum was by far the best, most constructive method to engage these students. The curriculum asks students questions they never think of asking themselves," says Ms. Gaeta.

"This conference wasn't solely about motivating these students to go on to college. We didn't even have to convince them to go to college," she adds. "They convinced themselves by getting to know themselves better internally, believe in themselves and rise to a higher level of expectation. I think by instilling drive into a student, the student will then set out with an unstoppable determination."

The experience made Gloria Tellez, a paraprofessional for Mabton School District, "excited to have the program in our schools" as part of her district’s Leadership Development Project, planned with SEMY support and using the same curriculum as the state conference.

The new facilitators and chaperones could see a dramatic change in the students as the conference neared its close. The experience was enhanced by many of the volunteer staff being made up of former migrant students.

"This will be one of those experiences students will reflect on when they are alone and facing a path less traveled. They will think back to it and know that there are others just like them who are planning to better themselves. They will also take with them the positive lessons they each learned. Some learned something about themselves, others learned more about how the world works. I know all students took something invaluable with them from this conference," says Ms. Gaeta.

Ms. VanScoy says, "I was very impressed with the activities that promoted certain skills. For example, ‘the human knot’ promotes team-building. The skills being taught give the students many tools on how to deal with real-life issues."

"I know I will see the students again in the future as leaders and persons of importance in the professional world," says Mr. Vergara.

Ms. Ramos says, "Many students were surprised at how much they learned. Before ending, our group did a summary of what we learned at the conference, and every single aspect of the curriculum was covered. There were times I thought students weren't listening, but when we completed the summary, I realized students really were listening."

"Some students really began to think about their futures a lot more, not just after high school graduation, but beyond that. They started to believe they could go on to college and that they can become whatever they put their minds to," Ms. Grageda says.

Mr. Cisneros agrees. "I truly believe most of the students have seen the value in pursuing a higher education and have learned some valuable skills they will be able to use in their everyday life," he says.

"This opened their eyes to the world of opportunities waiting for them out there," Mr. Vergara adds.

The program "helped them know who they are," Ms. Tellez says.

The monumental change was most obvious among the shiest, most timid students.

"I saw some very reserved student’s blossom into students who could voice their ideas and opinions with respect and honesty," says Ms. VanScoy.

"We had a couple real shy students in our group, and I think they started to feel better about themselves and more comfortable at the end of the three days. I believe they will continue to think positive and become more involved in their schools back home," Ms. Grageda agrees.

Mr. Vergara says, "One girl came in speaking hardly any words. In fact, I thought she spoke no English. But in the process of getting to know each other and as the hours passed, she was able to become more assertive and more talkative."

"Another student in our group was pretty disengaged the second day and I thought he wasn't taking in any of the information shared that day," Mr. Vergara continues. "By the third day he was back with us and working fully in the group, helping Janet Ibarra prepare her speech to run for the student position on the Migrant Education State Advisory Committee."

Ms. Gaeta says in her group "we had the only non-Latino student. Initially, you could tell he wasn't convinced he should be at the conference.

"By the end all the students at the conference were cheering him on as he demonstrated his break-dancing techniques during our late night social and on the last day. He knew he had made a few dozen friends from a different culture even when he initially felt he couldn't penetrate the wall," Ms. Gaeta recounts.

"One student told me that he thought it was a waste of time and that he wanted to go home," says Mr. Cisneros. "So I kept talking to him about giving it a try. He emailed me after the conference and said he regretted that he was being difficult early on but that he was glad for the opportunity to be at the conference and that he really did learn a lot."

And Ms. Ramos says, "Initially the students were timid, quiet, and reserved. By the end of the conference students were sharing personal journeys, new ideas, collaborating as a team and encouraging each other on. It was great to see the shy people speak out at the end."

The new staff said the conference experience was a great benefit to them, as well.

"I was so hopeful for the future after the conference was over," Ms. Grageda says. "I really believe there will be more of us Latinos that are going to continue our education, and that makes me very excited."

"This program reminded me on how I can empower students. It even empowered me to achieve my goals," says Ms. VanScoy.

Ms. Gaeta says the conference provided her "vision and motivation."

"This conference helped me realize so many things," she says. "I learned a lot from the students. They taught me about respect. They taught me about positive affirmation, because every time I heard someone say something negative we had to turn it into something positive. In the end, students began being less critical of themselves. Since then, I've been trying to be less critical of myself to reap the same benefits.

"And I think what I valued the most," she says, "was my understanding of heritage and culture. Having to explain to these students that they need to be accepting of who they are and what they are convinced me of accepting myself for who I am, as well. I've always embraced my culture, but growing up in this society, you tend to forget."

As the conference drew to a close, students and staff gathered in a large group to share their feelings and to review what they had learned. The buses pulled up, and the students then had to leave.

Hugs and tears were shared between students and staff. The conference was a success again, despite all the inexperienced staff.

Staff members joined the students at the buses to add final embraces and encouragement. Each felt a mixture of feelings.

"I was sad to go and excited to have met all the students and new staff. I felt the students really were taking something with them and are going to demonstrate some awesome leadership skills back home," Ms. Grageda says.

"I felt some sadness, because all the students were leaving," agrees Ms. VanScoy. "I also felt happiness for those that got the opportunity to come to this incredible conference. I wasn't ready to leave, yet I wanted to go home and share this awesome experience with my co-workers."

"I felt honored and satisfied to see them leave with their mental suitcases fuller than when they had arrived," Mr. Vergara says. "I know they now realize it is up to them, and I instilled in them a quote that I use in my life: ‘A goal without a deadline is a dream.’"

Ms. Gaeta says, "I was sad that it was ending, but I was grateful for the experience. I was also a little delirious from lack of sleep!"

"I got so attached to the students that when I saw them leave I wanted to cry," admits Ms. Tellez.

"I felt joy that the kids were happy and that they were leaving with skills and knowledge they could use to make a better life for themselves," Mr. Cisneros says.

Linda Roberts, director of the SEMY program that puts on the Student Leadership Conference, says while this year had an abnormally large number of new volunteer staff, every year has its challenges. But every year the conference ends in great success.

Next year, she notes, will be the program’s 20^th Anniversary Conference. It will be back at Central Washington University, and former volunteers and students, along with such state officials as Gov. Christine Gregoire, will attend to help celebrate the program’s two decades of helping migrant student achieve their potential.