Student Leaders Broaden and Enhance Their Leadership Skills in NYC

Twenty-five Stony Brook University student leaders spent three days in July meeting with global leaders and working with students from other SUNY colleges to exercise and enhance their leadership skills.

The SUNY Global Leader Experience was made possible through the SUNY SAIL Global Leadership Exchange in New York City. Students were nominated to participate by a university staff or faculty member based on their leadership skills and standing in the Stony Brook community.

“Honestly, I walked out a different person with different views, greater team building, patience and friends. I was in an environment where everyone was so supportive,” said Laurel Gumpert ‘18. “It’s difficult to find an environment where everyone is building each other up instead of tearing down. I learned a lot about myself.”

During the experience, students took part in tackling the biggest issues facing business, government and society today. This year’s challenge question was, “How do smart cities ensure they are inclusive?”

“One aspect which I really enjoyed was learning about core and flex and how my values may or may not overlap with others,” said Sai Sreenivasamurphy ’18. “This made me appreciate how diverse our group was. It cemented my understanding of what cultural intelligence meant.”

With this unique leadership development opportunity, students faced real and practical challenges that equipped them with a broader perspective and furthered their skills to lead.

“We are the leaders of the future and the program helped us to explore the things out of our boundaries. The collisions of our thoughts, beliefs and interactions helped me to reach a higher level of thinking,” said Xicheng Zhou ’19.   

The opportunity also allowed students to build connections and make new friends across the SUNY program.

“We all bonded very quickly. I really enjoyed meeting students from different schools and backgrounds, and I’m very glad I got the chance to connect with other students from Stony Brook that I had never met before,” said Desiree Saad ’18.

Check out the video below of students speaking about their SUNY Global Leader Experience and how they’re putting their leadership skills into action.  

Students can learn more about leadership opportunities on campus in the Dean of Students website.