Keyes leadership program celebrates third graduate

Kalli Schmidt will graduate this spring with a little extra paperwork.

Schmidt will earn a BA in sociology and French major as well as a Dr. Mary E. Keyes Certificate of Leadership Development.

She is only the third student to graduate from the leadership development program, which includes workshops on various aspects of leadership, the collection of  a leadership portfolio and an exit interview.

Schmidt hopes to attain her bachelor of education and one day work with children or youth. She says the knowledge gained in the Keyes program will help her in “encouraging students to take on leadership roles.”

For Schmidt, the most memorable aspect of the program was her newfound appreciation for “how much being a leader is part of everyday life.” She also highlighted the opportunity to meet new people from different areas across the University that she might not regularly interact with.

Through participation in the program, she has developed her own definition of leadership as “something that can be taught, learned, shared and is always changing.” Schmidt encourages other students to participate in the program because “it was fun, the workshops get you thinking and it challenges you to look at things from different perspectives.”

The Dr. Mary E. Keyes Certificate of Leadership Development was developed in 2002 and named after the associate vice-president of Student Affairs, who had passed away earlier that year.

With unmatched enthusiasm and dedication, Keyes’ leadership built and enhanced student life and services at McMaster. The leadership development program underwent a substantial review and re-launch in the winter of 2012. Since then, more than 400 students have registered in the program, which is delivered by professionals from the Student Success Centre, Athletics & Recreation and the Office of Human Rights and Equity Services.