The College of Communication and Information Sciences (C&IS) develops global leaders who do the extraordinary in communication, media and information. During a weekend in the fall 2022 semester, a group of C&IS leaders traveled to Panama City Beach, Florida to participate in leadership development training and experiential learning workshops at the third C&IS Lead Retreat.
The group of 49 established and emerging student leaders was led by five C&IS faculty and staff members and two upperclassmen students who served as on-site coordinators. The students completed a curriculum of leadership programming that encompassed lessons on communication, diversity and collaboration.
“As a junior in the College, I was super happy to attend the trip,” said news media major Victor Hagan. “I learned and experienced so much that I can bring back to my organizations now, and it was the perfect opportunity to build relationships with my peers.”
Throughout the weekend, students connected their experiences in C&IS and developed into a network of peers who understand their individual and group impact. Group workshops, team building exercises, breakout sessions and personal reflection united the students, all while enjoying the beautiful beaches of the Emerald Coast.
“I truly enjoyed the substance of LEAD Retreat. We had great conversation and discussion, and all of the exercises taught me new knowledge about teamwork and leadership,” said freshman news media major, Samantha White.
The mission statement of the Lead Retreat is to develop leaders who do the extraordinary in C&IS and beyond. The retreat’s final activity challenged the students to make a statement of how they would be extraordinary moving forward, and all 49 students accepted the challenge to become impactful leaders in the College moving forward.
“We focused a lot on figuring out who you are as a person so you could become the best version of yourself, which determines what kind of leader you are,” said sophomore communication studies and public relations double major Alex Williams. “I left feeling more secure in who I am than I’ve ever felt before.”
Financial support for the Lead Retreat was provided by the generosity of C&IS alumni and friends. This retreat would not have been possible without the support of the extended C&IS network.
“C&IS really prioritizes community building and provides us many opportunities to develop our skills, but this opportunity has been one of my favorites during my time at UA. I’m so grateful for this experience to grow and develop into the best version of myself,” said sophomore creative media major, Jocelyn Claborn.
To learn more about the 2022 Lead Retreat, click here.
