Document Type
Editorial
Publication Date
2-23-2023
Abstract
Why leadership matters.
I’m 60 years old, but I clearly remember the spring of my senior year in high school. I grew up in a small town in Missouri. After spending a week in Washington D.C., I returned home dreaming about a career in politics and government. I thought it could be a meaningful way to make a difference. (I also had decided to give up my dream of being an NBA basketball player given I’m five foot five.)
To help me take the next step in that dream, I spent the summer volunteering full-time for a little-known state-wide candidate. He didn’t win the race, but I loved the experience. As a college student, I became involved in local politics, took a semester off to work on another campaign, and three years after graduating from college managed a state-wide campaign for that same candidate – and he won.
I went to work for him as the education advisor. The experience gave me early leadership opportunities and an appreciation for how politics and government need people of Christian faith. Along the way, my dream of making a difference evolved – and eventually brought me to Ouachita.
Recommended Citation
Sells, Ben, "Developing students' leadership potential (Why I'm optimistic about today's high school seniors)" (2023). Press Releases. 1333.
https://scholarlycommons.obu.edu/press_releases/1333