What CHARGE has taught me about leadership

CHARGE is Wake Forest’s emerging leadership program on campus, and this group teaches its students a great deal about themselves as leaders and members of their community. I am proud to say that I am a member of this group.

CHARGE has shaped me as a leader at Wake Forest. Like most students, I am intimidated by our administration; I don’t  know who anyone is or how to approach them. There is, in this way, a disconnect, and I have noticed that there are clear ways for Wake Forest to improve. We–the students–should be able to communicate our wants and needs with those who put change into action. Having been on campus for two years now, I am aware of specific changes that can be implemented on our campus.

I joined CHARGE in order to learn how to make those changes happen.

This 10-week program takes students through various personal training seminars, leadership courses, and ethics and management activities. The eighty members of CHARGE meet once a week, and each time, we are taught a new leadership parable. For example, we were instructed by our faculty advisors about how to approach members of the administration, network, and delegate tasks. Furthermore, we learned invaluable lessons about crisis management and teamwork.

CHARGE prepares students to take on leadership positions, enables them to confidently communicate with members of the administration, and gives them the tools to bring about change.

Through various leadership activities and a two-day retreat, we learn about the elements of leaderships, the various definitions of “leadership,” and the ways to construct a clear and meaningful proposal, a skill that will serve us well in the future. CHARGE, in this way, enables students to help the Wake Forest community and, simultaneously, help themselves.

Sterling Moksal is a freshman from Roanoke, Virginia. He has not declared his major yet.

Sterling Moksal, a participant in CHARGE said he loves the group so much because it “gives students the opportunity to change the campus of Wake Forest.” He also said, ” I enjoyed meeting new people and enhancing my leadership skills.”

Adam Tomasi is a freshman from Kingston, Massachusetts. He plans to double major in History and Communications.

In addition, another CHARGE participant Adam Tomadi said, “CHARGE has been one of the most enriching extracurricular activities I’ve participated in at Wake. We’ve gained leadership skills to make a difference on campus–and having fun too!”

Over the years, many of the CHARGE student group proposals have been the catalyst for positive and concrete change at Wake Forest. For example, Swizzler food trucks were brought to campus by CHARGE students, and the Ziesta room in the library was started by members of this group.

This year, many exciting ideas were presented. For example, my group–which is made up of myself and five other students and is lead by two upper-class men–proposed a modification to freshman orientation. At Wake Forest, there is little diversity, and not many people discuss this issue, so we wanted to include diversity and inclusion training during freshman orientation; training seminars, ice breakers, and open forms would help make diversity more accessible.

Other groups proposed creating a foreign language writing center, improving our sidewalks, which are notoriously cracked and dangerous, adding a crosswalk through Polo Road to sophomore parking, and improving the outdoor patio outside of Shorty’s.

Members of the administration will review the proposals made my students and decide if and how to implement these changes.