I spent a good deal of my working career traveling around the world, and that showed me a lot of what was out there beyond the United States. I jumped at the opportunity to give UW students the chance to taste that. |  | When a group of University of Wisconsin-Madison engineering and genetics students ventured to South Africa in January for the LeaderShape Institute, they had a partner in Gary Wendt.
Wendt, a retired business executive living in Connecticut, was not just a financial supporter. He made the trip to Cape Town as well.
“I was a graduate of the College of Engineering who was given an opportunity to expand my horizons in the business world,” he said. “I spent a good deal of my working career traveling around the world, and that showed me a lot of what was out there beyond the United States. I jumped at the opportunity to give UW students the chance to taste that. I had been to South Africa a couple of other times, and I was happy to be able to interact with the students.”
The two-and-a-half-week venture featured a leadership seminar and service projects on the ground. UW-Madison’s annual LeaderShape Institute–aligned with the national, non-profit LeaderShape Inc.—started with a cadre attending a 1996 conference in Champaign, Illinois. The first Wisconsin LeaderShape Institute was held in August 1997 with 42 students from the College of Engineering and the School of Business attending. This year marked the first time the Wisconsin LeaderShape Institute left the Madison campus for a location abroad. |
|
|
| Building leaders a half-world away | | “There were two key goals for the LeaderShape 2008 experience: to provide consequential leadership training and a meaningful international experience,” said Kathy Prem, trip organizer and the college’s assistant director of Engineering Career Services. “It is difficult for many engineering students to schedule a semester-long study abroad program into their planned engineering curriculum. We wanted to offer a program that greatly expanded our students’ cultural awareness but without a four- to six-month commitment.
“In addition, we wanted to see results in the campus community as a result of the leadership training,” she said. “We are continuing to see the impact the program had on the participating students and on their contributions to our campus and community.”
Working with the University of Cape Town made perfect sense, Kathy said. “The incredibly diverse culture, with the fairly recent political changes, made South Africa an attractive location,” she said. “English is one of the official languages, removing a potential barrier.” A strong faculty contact at the University of Cape Town, that campus’ commitment to leadership training and matching academic breaks made for an ideal fit.
Sarah Steenblock, a junior mechanical engineering major from Janesville, Wisconsin, made the journey. “I think we all instantly connected with the University of Cape Town students, and, even though we had different backgrounds, we could all relate to one another,” she said. “We spent night after night in the residence hall common room playing games past midnight, and the jokes and songs were never-ending during our days pulling water hyacinth on the service project.
“The people we met in the townships were the most welcoming people, and they really exemplified what a strong community is,” she said. “I learned that people are people, regardless of background or geographical location, and we all deserve to have the opportunity to live to our potential.” |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
