Leadership scholars 'make a difference'

Student leadership scholars in their first quarter at Western Washington University worked to stabilize the Laurel Canyon Creek salmon habitat this past weekend as part of Whatcom County’s Make a Difference Day. Fifty-two students and a teaching team of seven helped the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association, Whatcom Land Trust, Western’s Ultimate Frisbee team and other community volunteers plant 1,247 trees and distribute a mile of hay along the creek's banks Oct. 25 to stabilize the salmon habitat from rains and flooding.

In class the week before, the LDST 100 Leading Responsibly students heard from two young alumni -- one from finance and business, the other from communications and public service -- via social media about workplace experiences in which each had faced values dilemmas or opportunities for ethical decision-making in their careers:

• Anab Hersi, a 2010 graduate of Western, is a research associate with PitchBook Data in Seattle, a leading research firm for private equity and venture capital. She was in the original Leadership Scholars cohort of 10 students in 2007.
• Hersi herself was recruited to Western by a young alumnus who was working in Western's Office of Admissions at the time. Jesse Moore, class of 2005, is now a speechwriter in the White House for the Obama administration, after having given up his admissions job to join Obama’s initial campaign for president. Moore has now helped organize two successful presidential campaigns, leading the North Carolina efforts in 2007 and 2011. During the first administration of President Obama, Moore was a spokesperson for U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Katherine Sibelius.

Western Leadership Scholars are supported with scholarships in their first year through the generosity of Jack and Joanna Bowman and Costco, among others. The Bowmans are donors for the Karen W. Morse Institute for Leadership -- Western’s Leadership Advantage.

To date, 214 incoming students from diverse backgrounds, representing all demographic categories at WWU, have been selected for the program and scholarship based on academic achievement and leadership track record. This year’s cohort includes 55 students.