Campus Life

Inaugural liberal arts retreat hosts student leaders

International students and student leaders prepare to depart for the Leadership Experiences at Liberal Arts retreat. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Four years ago, in an interview for her current position at Penn State, economics adviser Nimisha Thakur proposed an idea to help international students transition to life at an American university. The idea was based on research that suggests one of international students’ biggest challenges is becoming socially integrated into American culture.

With the help of a team of professionals, this concept has taken on a life of its own. A couple weeks ago, this idea became a reality at the inaugural Leadership Experiences at Liberal Arts (LELA) retreat.

LELA is intended to provide a safe space and platform for international students to connect with their American peers on a leadership retreat. “Leadership is a universal concept across the world but has cultural nuances,” said Thakur in describing the need for opening dialogue between American and international students about leadership.

The event will hopefully be opened up to the entire College of the Liberal Arts in the future, as an annual retreat. However, this year’s event was comprised of eminent Liberal Arts student leaders who were invited to provide feedback that would help further establish the program.

Students mainly provided feedback on their individual definitions of leadership, which they said were shaped by the retreat. Most emphasized building connections as the main point of continuity during the retreat. In an environment without technology or social media, students were able to foster relationships with people they may not have met or spoken to in their time at Penn State.

LELA’s focus on cultural awareness allowed students from various countries and cultural backgrounds to experience some of the day-to-day aspects of others’ lives over the weekend, even in the small details such as seeing other students’ eating habits. One of the main places students interact is in a classroom setting, but LELA broke that norm and helped relieve the classroom pressure by bringing guest speakers, faculty and students away into a more isolated and natural setting. 

Recognizing and embracing differences also came with the task of coming together to redefine leadership. After returning from the retreat, the students described their new definitions as being focused on getting to know others, and on genuine human interaction. As students built relationships, they were able to see the importance of the event.

In the future, other students and faculty members will be able to take advantage of this event to help build and strengthen the core values of a liberal arts education. Students interested in the program can also look forward to what unanimously was the attendees’ favorite part: the simple act of creating friendships with other students and stepping outside their comfort zones.

Last Updated April 27, 2018

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