A blog by Vice President Cecilia Damian.

Good things always happen just not how it’s expected

Growing up I never thought I would be going to Inver Hills Community College; I had my eye set on going out of state for a very long time. However, life happens whether you like it or not. When I graduated high school Inver was my only option, so I took it.

The beginning of the semester I didn’t do much but focus on school, hang out with friends and work, but I wanted to get more out of my college experience. So I decided to look into joining a club, the only one that caught my attention was student senate. I went to the senate meeting and was intrigued. I went to all the meetings and one day the president of Inver Hills Student Senate convinced me to come to a conference for leadership development. The organization that put on this conference was LeadMN.

Where it all began

I went to my first LeadMN conference in February 2015 in Fergus Falls, MN. After the conference I knew I wanted to do more. Mike Dean, the LeadMN executive director, heard about my interests so he came to a meeting at Inver Hills and asked if I would be interested in being a GOTV intern for the 2016 election. I accepted the opportunity and I ran with it. Planning events on my campus, getting students to understand why voting is important, and having them commit to voting in the election. My team and I pledged 950 students to vote on our campus. This was an amazing success. I was able to reach out and connect with so many students by educating them on why voting is so important. I have always been passionate about voting and finding students with the same passion was amazing.

After the election was over I wasn’t satisfied; I wanted to do more and I didn’t want to stop. So I reached out to Mike again and asked if there were any leadership opportunities available. He told me about a legislative intern position and I was immediately intrigued. During this time, I worked along side the LeadMN Government Relations staff member and helped maximize our legislative advocacy efforts with the LeadMN Outreach Coordinator. I got to observe and be part of some great things at the capitol and testified on the Higher Education Committees.

Endless Opportunities

My ambition drives me to do more. I love to learn new skills and to develop myself as a leader but also learn personal development. So I decided to run for Vice President of LeadMN knowing this was a perfect position for the type of skills and leadership development that I am looking for. At the Spring GA in April 2017 I was elected as Vice President, and in this position I am able to apply my previous skills to help build my new skills.

LeadMN has endless opportunities for personal and professional growth. Take advantage of all they have to offer. Seek out new opportunities and do what inspires you.