"FUEL"ing the Leadership Spirit

I’m currently in the midst of an application frenzy. Desperately seeking an internship for this summer, job descriptions have become additional required reading for me this semester. Every job posting I have my eye on is distinct, but what they have in common is that they are seeking “leaders." As a young sophomore, I realized that I haven’t refined my leadership skills to their fullest potential. Fortunately, I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of Fordham University Emerging Leaders, or FUEL for short.

Sponsored by the Office of Student Involvement, FUEL is a ten week workshop for students to develop their leadership skills. Every week we have the opportunity to listen to guest speakers, which include various faculty members, professors, and administrators, present on various topic related to leadership. Some of these topics include motivation, public speaking, diversity, and Ignatian values. We also participate in many group activities, which allows us to meet other students interested in becoming better leaders, and we have weekly challenges to fulfill.

This week we listened to a presentation on values and learned that in order to become a better leader we have to be in touch with our own values as well as identify the values of the people we are in touch with. This week’s challenge, in preparation for next week’s presentation on mindfulness, is to note all the times in the week we are faced with stressful situations.

Prepped and ready to go for today's session.

This year’s theme is “Know the way, go the way, show the way.” Knowing the way is knowing who I am as a leader, knowing those I am leading, and having a clear vision for the future. Going the way is taking initiative and setting an example for others. Showing the way is learning to be the best leader possible and inspiring others to become leaders as well. At the end of FUEL, I will be better equipped to do all three in my academic and social life. Also, hopefully I will finish all my internship applications and ace the interviews, so I can apply what I learned from FUEL to my career as well!

International Business Association Hosts Lacoste CEO

Fordham's International Business Association (IBA) is a club that organizes activities and events with a multicultural bent for students who may be interested in working abroad.  Participation in the club is also an extracurricular requirement for students pursuing a secondary concentration in the Gabelli School of Business.  One of IBA's primary activities is organizing presentations from global business professionals, and yesterday, they hosted Francis Pierrel, CEO of Lacoste North America.

Mr. Francis Pierrel

Mr. Pierrel earned his undergraduate degree in his native France and completed his MBA in the UK.  Before Lacoste, he worked for Diesel in the United States.  He spoke about the difficulties and benefits of studying and working in different countries throughout one's career.  Mr. Pierrel stressed the importance of networking and maintaining personal relationships for students who are interested in working internationally.

The timeless tradition of the polo shirt is one of the main facets of Lacoste's brand, but they must constantly adapt to stay relevant in the dynamic retail market.

In addition to general advice about building a career in the global business environment, the guest also spoke specifically about his company.  Mr. Pierrel explained, for example, the challenging strategic implications of trying to grow a business in a foreign market (Lacoste is based in France).  He fielded several questions regarding the future of retail stores given the rise of e-commerce and the role that data will play in the future of retail.  Events like this presentation, though frequently sponsored through the Gabelli school, are open to all students.

Student Theatre Groups at Rose Hill

I'm more comfortable on stage than I am in most social situations. But going into senior year of high school, I knew I didn't want to be in an undergraduate acting program. Instead, I chose to attend Fordham College at Rose Hill, even though I knew the school's official theatre program (with its highly selective, audition-based admissions process) was housed at Lincoln Center. At the same time, I knew I absolutely wanted to continue performing in shows. As I prepared to attend Fordham in the fall of 2012, I prayed that I wouldn't be let down by the quality of Rose Hill's theatre community.

Thankfully, our campus is brimming with great theatrical opportunities, especially for a campus of its size. Maybe it's because we're so close to New York City, but for a campus that doesn't host Fordham's performing arts departments, Rose Hill has an abundance of talented and creative students who—despite majoring in unrelated fields—pursue their artistic passions through the student groups on campus, or at professional venues in Manhattan. We even have students from Lincoln Center who come over regularly to audition for our shows.

For those of you who want to continue acting, but don't want to major in it, rest assured that you can do just that here at Fordham Rose Hill. To help you out, here's the run-down on Rose Hill's three student theatre groups!

The Mimes and Mummers
Website: http://www.themimesandmummers.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMimesAndMummers

The Mimes are Fordham's mainstage student theatre group based in Collins Auditorium in Collins Hall. They put on two shows each semester, usually one play and one musical each semester. The students on the Mimes' executive board hire professionals from the NYC area to direct each production. Students manage all technical aspects of the production (lights, costumes, props, set), and cast members are required to complete a certain amount of "tech hours" as well.

So far I've been in four shows with the Mimes: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The 39 Steps, Legally Blonde, and currently RENT. It's been one of my favorite parts of my Fordham career to work with such talented people and act under the direction of professional freelance directors. My director for The 39 Steps is also a teacher at NYU, and we're still friends on Facebook!

If you're visiting Fordham anytime soon, try and catch our production of RENT which opens on February 26 and closes March 1.

Fordham Experimental Theatre (FET)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FordhamExperimentalTheatre

FET is an exclusively student-run theatre group that performs in the well-loved Blackbox located on the first floor of Collins Hall. Like the Mimes, they put on four show a year, two each semester. Many are student-written, and all are student-directed. FET is known for unique show concepts and sometimes wild directing choices. Since I've been at Fordham, several student-written shows that debuted in the Blackbox have been accepted into various theatre festivals in New York. Two of them—Cowboys Don't Sing and My Personal Hell—have even played at the New York International Fringe Festival.

My Personal Hell by Jonathan O'Neill at the NY Int'l Fringe Festival, August 2014.

Me and Mike Dahlgren in The Pillowman, April 2012.

FET also has a number of umbrella groups who regularly perform in the Blackbox, including Stranded in Pittsburgh (improv), Free Pizza Sketch Comedy, Fordham Standup (who occasionally perform at Gotham Comedy Club in Manhattan), and Verbal Essences (spoken word poetry). On top of that, they put on a Playwrights Festival every semester, which features student-written one-act plays. Needless to say, FET offers students a ton of opportunities to perform, and it's a great way to get started in the Rose Hill theatre scene.

Currently FET is working on Midsummer Night's Dream directed by Jonathan O'Neill and Chris Pedro. The show opens during the third weekend of February.

Theatrical Outreach Program (TOP)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/topfordham

TOP is dedicated to abridging important plays, often from the classical tradition, and staging them in a more accessible way for today's audiences. Last semester they put on Our Town and Twelfth Night, or What You Will. After their performances at Fordham, for instance, they bring their productions to under-supported high schools in the Bronx area. They put on two shows each semester, and like FET, all productions are put together solely by students. Currently TOP is working on The Laramie Project, directed by FCRH junior David Schillinger.

Production still from Twelfth Night, fall 2014.

There are so many ways to get involved with student theatre at Fordham. You don't need to be a major to be involved in rewarding, high quality productions. For that, I'm extremely grateful. If you have any questions about the arts scene at Fordham Rose Hill, feel free to email me at vagovida@fordham.edu. Hope to see you at auditions this fall!

Club Spotlight! Sláinte: Fordham Irish Dance

Here at Fordham, there are over 100 clubs and extracurricular activities that students can participate in. From political groups, to choirs, to the Campus Activities Board, to a culinary council and more, whatever you’re interested in, Fordham most likely has it.

My suitemate, Kayla Slattery, is the Co-President of Sláinte, the Irish Dance group here at Rose Hill. Apart from Irish dance, there are other dance groups on campus as well for students who may prefer other styles of dance. Check out an interview below that I conducted with Kayla!

Kayla and the team!

So what inspired you to start Sláinte?
Kayla: Dance had been such a big part of my life for so many years that when I came to Fordham that part of me was missing. I knew other girls here who felt the same way, so having this club is a great way to continue my love of dance and meet other people who have the same interests.
Was it easy to get the club up and running?
Kayla: It definitely was a process, but after we wrote our constitution and it was approved, Fordham helped us get our club under way and we’ve grown a lot since it started!
What are some activities that you guys do?
Kayla: We practice twice a week and we work on choreographies and exercises to prepare for upcoming events and performances. We’ll be competing at the intercollegiate Irish Dance Competition in the Spring of 2015! We also host Ceili Nights, which are social dances with food and friends, you don’t have to have any experience to go, and it’s a great way to meet new people and learn a fun dance! Our next one is on Tuesday the 18th.
Would you describe Fordham as an involved campus?
Kayla: Yes, I would definitely describe Fordham as involved. There are so many activities to participate in, and everyone is just looking to be a part of something, and make new friends, and participate in something they love. It’s been a great experience!

The Smart Girls Group: an Incredible Fordham Experience

Over the past two years, I have been asked many times about the best part of Fordham. My answer has always been, and always will be, the people I have met here. The people at Fordham are some of the most driven, inspiring, caring people i have ever met. One of my friends is an incredible example of this spirit within the Fordham community. One of my good friends Emily Raleigh, a sophomore in the Gabelli School of Business, founded her own company two years ago as a senior in college, and it has flourished.

Emily Raleigh, Gabelli School of Business Class of 2016, and founder of the Smart Girls Group

I feel incredibly lucky not only to know Emily, but also to work for her company the Smart Girls Group. The Smart Girls Group is a social enterprise dedicated to empowering the next generation of influential women. The Smart Girls Group has campus chapters, online classes, an online magazine, and an international sisterhood. The Smart Girls Group's office is located at the Fordham Foundry, a small business incubator just outside Fordham's Rose Hill campus. The Foundry helps student entrepreneurs, like my friend Emily, get their small businesses started. 

With the Smart Girls Group, I serve as the Deputy Editor for our monthly magazine, the Smart Girls Guide. One of my main duties as the Deputy Editor is to read and edit every article before it gets published in the magazine. I also review the magazine one last time after it has been put together to catch any last-minute mistakes or typos. With this job, I get the opportunity to work with the incredible girls of the Smart Girls Group staff, and collaborate with them on ideas how to further the company and make a bigger impact on the rising global community of driven young women. 

A past issue of the Smart Girls Guide magazine

Being a friend of the founder of the company, I have an inside look at what it is like to work in a social enterprise, which is what I would like to do post graduation. Emily inspires me, and many others, every day, and she is one of many students at Fordham who are doing incredible things to change the Fordham community and the world. But these students working to change the world are often doing so very quietly, and you may not know about it unless you know them personally. Dinner conversations with Emily have come to include pitching new ideas to better Smart Girls Group, planning collaborations and sponsorships with powerful people and companies, and discussing crucial issues of feminism, like whether Beyonce or Sheryl Sandburg is more inspiring. The definitive answer to that question was never decided, but we concluded they're both very important in their own ways.