As the end of winter term approaches, preparations for the next academic year begin with the hustle of course requests followed by a series of applications for leadership positions on campus. For third-, fourth-, and fifth-formers on campus, focus shifts to the Choate Student Leadership Application, a single application for many leadership programs such as Assessment Team, Student Committee Of Programming and Engagement (SCOPE), Peer Educators, the Prefect Program, and more. The application requires students to complete a common application for teachers to gauge a student’s leadership skills and experiences before moving on to position-specific prompts for each group that students choose to apply to.
The new Choate Leadership Application was streamlined in February of 2019, after teachers of different leadership groups recognized that many of their application questions overlapped. The initiative began when former advisers to the Prefect program, Ms. Courtney Barker-Destefano and Ms. Ashley Bairos, worked in collaboration with former Director of Residential Life, Mr. Will Morris, to create a common application portal where both applicants and advisers could have one hub for application materials and adviser recommendations, streamlining the process for both students and teachers.
“In the ten years I’ve been here, the number of leadership groups on campus has grown,” said Ms. Kyra Jenney, HPRSS Department Head and adviser to Peer Educators. “It became obvious, when having so many leadership applications, that students were filling out so many different applications and the process that we collect information from students was very disorganized.”
While many leadership groups, have additional ways to measure applicant interests, such as through interviews, advisers still rely on the common application to provide a reference. “We use the common application to get a better sense of the student’s interests and ideas. We hold a brief interview with each SCOPE candidate; however, some students are nervous during an interview and cannot properly articulate their ideas,” said Assistant Director of Student Activities and Adviser to SCOPE Ms. Colleen Kazar. “The common application allows for the student to thoughtfully share their experience and interest.”
Although synthesizing multiple leadership position applications resulted in a lengthy common application, students found it useful. Elsa Franks ’24 said, “I thought the common application was very necessary. Leadership roles are a huge responsibility, and the roles can be tedious, and so it says something about the kids who didn’t have the time to complete it or didn’t have the dedication to that specific application to do it. It’s a good showing of who’s ready to take on the position.”
However, in considering this year’s Student Leadership Application process, some students wondered about the aspect of holding a leadership title, whether it applies to a leadership group, a club, or even on the field. Some students felt like they were limited in the positions they could apply to, while others called upon a limit for the number of leadership positions a student could hold.
Lilli Schmidt-Engelbetz ’23 said, “As a [new] junior you have a disadvantage and the teachers don’t know you very well. Also, there were a few positions I couldn’t apply for as a new junior, for example being a Gold Key Leader.”
Although students are not allowed to hold simultaneous positions in leadership groups that have a large time commitment, there still is no hard limit on the number of leadership positions that a student can hold. The existing conditions prevent students from holding multiple prominent leadership positions, such as being on the Student Council and Judicial Committee. Franks noted, “When students hold so many titles, [the positions] start to not mean anything. A lot of leadership roles eventually just become a name on a transcript. It’s not making true change, and it means the weight of leadership in general decreases. If it was specific and pointed and made real change, then it would be much better.”
Ximena Castillo Núñez ’24 added, “I think a lot of leadership positions are performative, and a lot of people lack self reflection when deciding to run for these things. It’s important for students to know what the positions actually entail. Some of these positions, such as Assessment or Peer Educators, should be determined by departments such as Counseling.”
With the increasing number of student leadership groups on campus, many community members have noted that leadership doesn’t have to come with a title. Having previously advised the Committee on Student Activities (COSA) and seen many students transition between leadership positions, Ms. Kazar concluded, “Students often believe that in order to be well rounded that they need to hold a leadership position in a club. Leadership presents itself in many formats, and students don’t need to be in charge of the club to gain valuable leadership skills.”
