The second day of ELP focused almost entirely on leadership growth. The morning was devoted to the Leadership Discovery Quest (LDQ), a series of over 20 challenging activities that require teamwork, communication, and trust. Ranging from creative activities like tarp flip, tent pole, soul surfing, and more. The more activities a team completes successfully, the more points they receive.
Ashley Masters, an incoming junior at CWU, said the LDQ was her favorite part of her ELP experience. “We really had to work with everyone and I got so much closer to my group. I feel like I could really talk to them and trust them afterward. Even though the first day we got to interact, we didn’t truly start communicating until LDQ. We really had to work together, if we didn’t, we couldn’t get anything done,” Masters said.
The goal of LDQ is to help students realize that collaboration isn’t always a simple task.
“Since we all have different minds and all think differently, the hardest part is listening to others since we all get so excited about our own ideas. Then we realized that if we listen, we might come up with the best solution to the challenge,” transfer student David Lyn said.
After LDQ and a break for lunch, first-years gathered again for another exciting leadership building exercise called L.E.A.D (Listen, Engage, Assess, and Diversify). Each topic was accompanied by activities where students learned that leadership is not a one-size-fits-all quality.
“L.E.A.D is a way to equip students that come to ELP with a way to discover their leadership strengths and how to capitalize on those strengths,” team leader Stacey Meekhof said.
When students first come to college, it can be an overwhelming experience. Students that come to ELP are able to build friendships, gain perspective, and prepare themselves for an exciting and successful college experience.
“I’ve learned that there are a lot of different people, opinions, and experiences, but all of that makes us who we are. We can all be friends and work great together, even if we take on leadership roles in a different way,” freshman Grace Burke said.
Through L.E.A.D and the Leadership Discovery Quest, first-years learned more about what it takes to be a good leader. Embracing differences, listening to opinions and taking thoughtful approaches to unique situations are just a few of the takeaways first-years went to bed with after a full second day at ELP.