2 Chapter 2

An open letter to Graduate Students enrolling in LDRS 614

My name is Lucas Camargo, and I am a first-semester graduate student at Winona State University. Change Leadership was my very first class and the starting point of the journey I decided to engage in, which is acquiring a graduate degree. I intend to pursue a Leadership Education degree with Emphasis in Sports Management. I have had years of experience in dealing with different styles of leadership utilized by different cultures, and even with that experience, Change Leadership class helped me realized that each leader has his own personal philosophy.

As my first class in the graduate program, I was concerned about the expectations and outcomes of Change Leadership class; however, my concerns turned into challenges and excitement from the beginning because the professor engaged me in those challenges and helped me to face them as opportunities to develop. I am extremely confident that from the first class you will recognize that you are not learning to become a leader, you already are a leader and have the mission to improve your leadership style and apply your philosophy in every place you go and everything you do. You will be constantly challenged in this class, challenged to improve your writing skills; challenged to speak in front of an audience; challenged to interpret your peers’ thoughts; challenged to define your leadership style and; finally, as the class description impose, challenged to change. This is an important information due to the fact not many people enjoy the process of changing and leaving the comfort zone, so my suggestion for you, my peer, is to risk it all.

I suggest you study each chapter as it may impact your leadership style and you will find details from each chapter that will be valuable for you and you will identify it in your workplace. Do not restrict yourself from reading the chapter and doing the case study. Instead, manage to read the extra articles provided by Northouse – the author of the book you are required to buy or rent – do the quizzes and perform the tests to better identify your leadership needs and areas of improvement.

My third suggestion for you refers to your relationship with your peers. Read them, understand their traits, their needs and their goals, and network with them. I absolutely guarantee you that you will enjoy it as much as Dr. Holmes will. Thus, you will learn to use this network outside the classroom, and consequently, you will find yourself in a leadership position. In addition, prepare yourself prior to the class, as more than a class, it is an opportunity for you to expose your brand. The personal brand will be a subject which you will be engaged in, so start working on it right now!

Finally, my last advice goes to Jabber or Rochester students. As a leader who is relating to your peers through iTV, do not restrict yourself because of that. Communicate with your peers outside the classroom, schedule meetings, email them about their articles. Surely, you should schedule at least a couple dates to visit the Winona Campus and meet with your instructor and with your peers.

As a leader I attempt to become, I hope this information help you in some ways to face this class and as a person who decided to engage in this program, I would love to exchange information with you about your goals and expectations as well as help you to answer more questions you may have, so please feel absolutely free to email me at lcamargo16@winona.edu or contact me at (507) 513-3898. I wish you the best in this step and I hope you enjoy this class as much as I did.