Posted by vandyleads on Thursday, November 2, 2017 in News.

Agatha Fenech is a junior here at Vanderbilt. She is involved with the VUcept Executive Board and is a Tour Guide. Recently, she was nominated to attend the National Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C., so we asked her to share some of her thoughts on the experience. Check out Agatha’s perspective on leadership and Vanderbilt!

Leadership & Opportunity

I am currently in the middle of two intense weeks of midterms, and during any particularly tough midterms or finals, I usually have a brief moment when I grumble and whine about the difficulty and academic rigor of Vanderbilt. But I always try to remind myself of the bigger picture. I came here because I love to learn, and Vanderbilt has given me so much beyond the topical knowledge I have gained in my classes. This forum gave me both physical and mental distance to think more holistically about my time at Vanderbilt thus far. Conversations I have had in class, student organizations, and informal settings have developed my critical thinking skills so much during my time here, and I really got to use those skills in conversations I had this weekend. One particular moment that stood out to me was when a student at the National Student Leadership Forum asked Food for Life founder Marissa Stubbs about diversity and inclusion. She responded by asking, “What would it look like for the people serving our breakfast to be sitting down with us and having these conversations?” It really caused me to think. We talk so much at Vanderbilt about diversity and inclusion, usually focusing around the experiences of low-income students, international students, and students of color. We have panels and round-table discussions with high-up administrators and faculty. All of these conversations are important and valid, and the people who are there should be there. But I also think we should include the dining workers, janitors, and everyone else who makes this university run in those conversations. We need to talk about economic inclusivity in Greek life in addition to talking about the wages and benefits of our dining workers.

On a different, more positive note, this weekend was a beautiful microcosm of all the opportunities Vanderbilt has afforded me, and I am so grateful. I know it sounds cliché, and I talk about how grateful I am to go here all the time, but I really, really am. On Thursday night, I got to talk with Samantha Power at a reception and then hear her speak about her time as the United States’ Ambassador to the United Nations, a position I would love to hold one day. Just a few hours later, I flew to Washington D.C. to spent the weekend at a leadership forum, fully paid for by my university. I got to stand on the floor of the House of Representatives and imagine myself giving the State of the Union address. I had substantial conversations with student leaders from universities across the country, which really provided me with the opportunity to reflect on my own university and the work we do here. After landing upon return at the Nashville airport, I uber-ed straight to Diwali Showcase practice and danced bhangra with people I love. Yes, the next day I had to wake up at 5:30am to complete four assignments before 6pm, but that’s part of a holistic Vanderbilt experience. I am so thankful for this weekend and for Vanderbilt, for constantly pushing me to be the best version of myself.