A total of 18 Southwestern College students in the Leadership program recently returned from their annual service learning trip.  This year the trip destination was Virginia Beach, Va.  The focus of this year’s trip was on environmental stewardship.  

“Good leaders are stewards of both people and resources,” says Lindsay Wilke, assistant director of Leadership Southwestern.  “The outdoor world around us is one of those resources.  So every four years, the Leadership team takes a trip focused on outdoor service efforts.  It is our hope that students will learn valuable lessons about the complex and intertwined nature of leadership work and the environment around us and learn to make informed decisions that take this relationship into account as they graduate and move beyond the walls of SC.”

While on the trip, the team toured and worked for the nationally-recognized nonprofit Equi-Kids Therapeutic Riding Program. Students helped to prepare running and riding trails for a 5K fundraiser, and they also did maintenance work on the grounds.  Additionally, the team spent two days building fire pits in Virginia’s First Landing State Park.  

The team also visited Colonial Williamsburg, in addition to area beaches and cypress swamps.  In keeping with the outdoor theme of the trip, the students bunked at the local KOA campground. SC junior Tavinia Tucker served as the trip planner and coordinator.  

“The service learning trips that Leadership takes help expose students to different leadership efforts across the globe,” Wilke says.  “Their impact on students is invaluable and often remains a highlight of their time at SC.  They are educational, fun, and eye-opening all at the same time.”  

Wilke adds that if anybody is interested in helping to fund scholarships for future leadership service learning trips, email leaders@sckans.edu. To learn more about the Leadership program at Southwestern College, visit www.sckans.edu/leadership or www.facebook.com/leadershipsouthwestern.