Leadership organization teaches secrets to success

By: Cassidy Colarik – Staff Writer

Last semester, UD brought a new organization to campus, The National Society of Leadership and Success, also known as Sigma Alpha Pi.

Advisor Daria Graham, director of student leadership programs at UD, saw the group as an opportunity to provide students with leadership training that could be utilized through experiential learning.

According to The National Society of Leadership and Success’s website, its mission is to “help people discover and achieve their goals. The Society offers life-changing lectures from the nation’s leading presenters and a community where like-minded, success-oriented individuals come together and help one another succeed.”

Last semester, The National Society of Leadership and Success at UD made impressive strides. While other universities retain about 50 percent of the original accepted members to active status, the alpha class at UD had 483 members their first semester with over 400 members still active within the first semester, according to the president of UD’s chapter, sophomore mechanical engineering major Jackson Mallady.

During the fall semester, there were four live broadcasts pertaining to the topics of leadership and success. Guest speakers included actor Jesse Eisenberg, writer and pastor John Maxwell, television personality Al Roker and actor John Leguizamo. Broadcasts were open to the entire campus and had such successful turnouts during the fall semester that Mallady believes they may have to move to a larger space for future broadcasts.

Membership in the organization has a number of benefits including the opportunity to form small groups, referred to as Success Networking Teams. These teams, composed of six to nine students, are geared toward setting S.M.A.R.T. goals and holding oneself accountable for meeting these goals throughout the semester. S.M.A.R.T. stands for specific, measureable, attainable, realistic and time-bound.

Membership allows students to join a job bank exclusively through The National Leadership and Success Society’s website. Additionally, members have the opportunity to access scholarships through the society, and discounts at places like Target, Men’s Warehouse, Princeton Review, Best Buy, Comcast, E-Campus, Dell, HP and AMC. The organization also provides members the chance to work with success coaches from the society.

“Not only has the society taught me to embrace leadership opportunities presented to me at the university, but through it, I have made endless connections with my peers, faculty and other leaders to help with my educational and professional career,” said Ellen Krueger, a sophomore psychology major and member of The National Society of Leadership and Success.

The organization has continued growing, with an induction ceremony approaching Feb. 11 for about 450 new members.

“I hope to see the chapter grow in terms of quality, meaning instead of just bringing this program on from the national society to make it to bring the community of UD into the society, to get it really branded towards service and experiencing leadership roles,” Mallady said.

As this organization continues to develop on campus there are tentative plans for social and charity events, as well.

Photo of The National Society of Leadership and Success UD chapter courtesy of Jackson Mallady.