5

 reasons  why  you  should  run  for  a  student  leadership  position.  

 
Now  is  the  time  to  begin  thinking  about  your  future:  Where  do  you  want  to  go?  Who  
do  you  want  to  become?  Running  for  a  student  leadership  position  is  a  great  way  to  
boost  your  resume  and  learn  valuable  life  lessons.  
 
1.  You’ll  develop  leadership  skills.    
As  a  student  leader  you  are  going  to  develop  innumerable  leadership  skills  including  
conflict  resolution,  cultural  intelligence  and  professional  advancement.  These  
leadership  skills  will  come  from  having  real-­‐world  leadership  experience  with  a  
small  nonprofit  and  as  a  representative  of  the  180,000  community  and  technical  
college  students  in  Minnesota.  
 
2.  You’ll  experience  working  on  a  team.    
In  any  student  leadership  position  you  will  not  be  working  alone.  You  will  be  
working  with  either  your  fellow  cabinet  members  or  your  fellow  Governing  Council  
or  Platform  Committee  members.  As  with  working  on  any  team,  there  will  be  
challenges  in  communication  and  work  style.  This  is  the  perfect  time  to  find  how  
you  work  with  others  and  where  your  areas  for  improvement  might  be.  Plus  you  can  
learn  more  about  the  strengths  you  already  bring  to  the  table.    Teamwork  does  not  
have  to  be  challenging;  it  just  takes  practice.  Being  a  student  leader  is  the  perfect  
time  to  find  how  you  work  on  a  team.  
 
3.  You’ll  gain  valuable  soft  skills.    
As  a  student  leader,  you  will  learn  valuable  soft  skills  while  gaining  real-­‐world  
leadership  experience.  Meetings  will  teach  you  communication  and  expectation  
setting;  projects  will  teach  you  time  management  and  responsibility;  presentations  
will  teach  you  public  speaking  and  organization.  These  are  only  a  few  of  the  many  
soft  skills  that  are  required  to  be  successful  in  any  profession  that  you  will  gain  
through  a  student  leadership  position.  
 
4.  You’ll  network.    
Not  only  will  you  have  the  chance  to  meet  hundreds  of  student  leaders  from  across  
Minnesota,  you  will  also  have  the  chance  to  network  with  the  Minnesota  State  
system  office,  legislators  and  their  staff,  and  other  student  advocacy  groups.  Make  
the  most  out  of  your  chance  to  be  a  student  leader  and  network  with  as  many  people  
as  you  can!  
 
5.  You’ll  learn  about  yourself.    
While  in  a  student  leadership  position  you  will  interact  with  many  different  types  of  
people  and  situations.  You  will  learn  how  you  deal  with  conflict  and  situations  that  
you  are  not  used  to.  As  a  student  leader,  you  will  also  learn  more  about  your  dreams  
and  goals.  Where  do  you  want  to  go  in  life,  and  how  do  you  plan  on  getting  there?  
Being  a  student  leader  is  a  great  way  to  learn  about  yourself  because  you  will  find  
who  you  can  become  and  all  the  opportunities  that  are  available  to  you.  
 
6.  And  as  a  bonus:  You’ll  have  fun!    
Last  but  certainly  not  least  you  will  have  fun!  This  is  a  year  you  will  be  able  to  make  
bonds  and  friendships  that  will  last  the  rest  of  your  life.  
 
So  what  are  you  waiting  for?  Apply  for  a  student  leadership  position  today!