The 6 finalist for Leader of the Pack, a scholarship contest that honors a male and a female student for their outstanding achievement in leadership, scholarship and community service, answer a few questions before the winners are revealed at Saturday’s Homecoming football game.
Did you expect that you would become one of the finalists?
Allison Barbour: I realize that so many qualified people applied for this scholarship and many more people deserve it than will get the title.
Anna Patton: I had no expectations. Everyone that applied has amazing qualifications, and everyone who applied has equal credentials and possibilities.
Molly Widmyer: Honestly, I didn’t. I knew several students that had applied for this award, and all of them are great people and great leaders. I am very honored that I have made it as far as I have.
Jamal Irving: I don’t know the actual number of applicants that applied for the Leader of the Pack scholarship, but considering that undergraduates who have completed at least two semesters at N.C. State are eligible to apply makes it very competitive.
Bobby Mills: I felt there were several, not just good but great, candidates so it was really just up in the air. It will be interesting to see how the breakdown is, but anyone who applies to this does have hopes to win.
Nick Schultz: I feel very fortunate to have been selected as a finalist. There are so many student leaders on campus that serve different needs, so to be selected out of such a large student body is truly an honor.
What services and/or acts of leadership have you completed (on campus or through the University) that you feel have helped the Wolfpack community?
Barbour: I was co-chair of the 10th Annual Service Raleigh this past March. It was great to serve NCSU and our community in this capacity. About 2,000 volunteers from our area came together to serve and give back. Currently, I volunteer as a tutor for ESL students at the Kid’s Cafe, I am chair of Caldwell Council and co-chair of a gala that will benefit Urban Ministries of Wake County and a health initiative in South Africa where several NCSU alumni work. I am an active Caldwell Fellow and am also working to grow as a servant-leader.
Patton: My service to N.C. State has been that I serve the University past, present and future. For serving the past I am an Alumni Association student ambassador and a Homecoming Parade coach. I am serving on the Inter-Residence Council executive board for the second year. I am involved with CSLEPS, and I am also an Alternative Spring Break team co-leader as part of serving the present. For the future, I volunteer for the Hugh Shelton Leadership Initiative.
Widmyer: Most of my campus leadership is through NCSU’s Habitat for Humanity chapter. I am currently the Vice President of the organization. Last year, I organized volunteers to tutor once a week at the Boys and Girls Clubs in Raleigh, and I was a Resident Mentor for the First Year College. I have helped to build about seven houses while representing the N.C. State community, and I have studied abroad in Segovia, Spain, through the University. All of these experiences have helped me to grow as a leader.
Irving: I have participated in Service Raleigh and Habitat for Humanity several times since attending N.C. State. Every year I volunteer at the University’s Open House, Engineering Open House and the College of Textiles’ Open House. Usually, I am a guide to the visiting students and families and answer any questions they have about student life, academics or the University in general. I am also a mentor to First Year College students interested in majoring in textiles.
Mills: The biggest things I have probably done is be involved with Student Government, Student Body President and Executive Secretary. I also am in the Student Wolfpack Club, involved with CSLEPS and have been a co-leader of many services.
Schultz: I have been involved with starting Men Against Rape, an organization focused on raising awareness and putting an end to sexual violence. I co-led a group of 20 students on an Alternative Spring Break trip to the Dominican Republic, where we worked with Habitat for Humanity. I was a member of the committee for the Hurricane Katrina Relief/Caldwell Benefit Gala. I have also been a Resident Advisor, a Service Raleigh site liaison, an Alumni Association student ambassador and a member of the International Friend Program.
What expectations will you have of yourself, or you feel the community will have of you, if you win this title?
Barbour: I will continue to serve our community in the same capacities as I am now. The title Leader of the Pack will be another medium to serve and lead more people on campus and inspire more people to get involved.
Patton: I have no expectations. I feel we are all winners, and we have all accomplished things that make us leaders in the Wolfpack community, so it doesn’t matter if you have the title or not.
Widmyer: If I am chosen, I will continue to be a leader at N.C. State, and I will continue to be involved in all the activities that have helped me to make it this far in the selection process.
Irving: With a title like this, the N.C. State community will definitely be counting on me to represent them well — it’s only fair. A part of representing the Wolfpack well would be to remain active in my leadership positions and service projects as well as reach for new, higher positions and volunteer even more … I will continue to do that whether I win or lose.
Mills: I will need to continue to excel in all those characteristics that are required of a leader of the pack.
Schultz: I believe that leadership is a journey — one that started developing long ago and will continue for the rest of my life. This journey for me is a continuous process of development, and I try to focus on the journey rather than looking to the destination.
