L to R: Front: Brook Danner, Tippecanoe Valley High School; Katelyn Gunter, Tippecanoe Valley High School; Aarshia Jain, Warsaw Community High School; Hannah Delp, Lakeland Christian Academy. Back: Ann Lash-Branson, R. R. Donnelley & Sons Human Resource Manager; John Kuhn, Warsaw Community High School, Brittney Goley; Triton High School; Tony Ciriello, KYLA moderator.

By EMILY COWAN
Kosciusko Youth Leadership Academy

The Kosciusko Youth Leadership Academy held their Wednesday, Jan. 14 meeting at the Kosciusko Community Foundation building. KYLA moderator, Tony Ciriello, welcomed the students and introduced Ann Lash-Branson who is the Human Resource Manager at R.R. Donnelley. Lash-Branson gave an overview of the responsibilities of a Human Resource Department.

Through group discussions and activities, Lash-Branson taught the students about different aspects of leadership. She highlighted 12 characteristics and traits of a respected leader which include humility, compassion, poise, flexibility, endurance, confidence, decisiveness, a sense of justice and a sense of humor. During the group activities, the cadets learned that decisions are made by emotions, by looking at the facts, and by weighing the pros and cons. A person’s value system is typically what initially influences their decision, but a person needs to consider other views and needs to be willing to compromise.

During an interactive activity call Traffic Jam, the students learned the importance of communication and teamwork to be an effective leader. It takes leaders to make a successful team as well as members who are willing to participate. The students learned that they may need to step out of their comfort zone and convey their opinions to help make a team successful.

Ciriello concluded the meeting by reminding the students that the next session was Wednesday, Feb. 4 at the K21 Medical Building where the students will learn about social services of Kosciusko County.