Lessons in leadership, identity and belonging

This summer, second year Commerce student Samy Mouktar participated in the inaugural Black Leadership Academy. The Academy brought together Black upper year undergraduate students from across the country to learn, reflect and connect with Black leaders from a range of backgrounds and experiences. Learn more about his personal reflections on this experience.

It’s been a few days since the Black Leadership Academy ended, and I’m still thinking about a lot of what happened over that weekend.

When I first heard about the Academy, I thought I would mainly get practical things out of it such as feedback on my resume, networking and LinkedIn tips and the opportunity to meet professionals. I walked away with all of the above and more. What left a deep and long-lasting impact on me were the lessons on being true to yourself; about being a leader of one’s own and how to navigate the challenges and setbacks that one is bound to face.

Justice Donald McLeod kicked off the weekend Friday night; his story was a strong speech that truly stuck with me. While preparing for the Academy, I mistakenly assumed that the speakers would feel so far away from me since they accomplished far more than me – a student still trying to figure things out. However, hearing Justice McLeod talk about his story made me realize that success is not nearly as far as I thought; seeing someone who came from a similar background as me reach for opportunities I’ve only dreamed of made me realize that I needed to take the opportunities I have available in front of me right now much more seriously.

Another thing I kept thinking about was Alpha Abebe’s session. It focused on the importance of staying true to your values, especially in environments that may not reward you for such, because that’s when it matters most. That made me reflect on what compromising on your values look like in action and how often we change ourselves depending on the room we’re in. For me, that compromise sometimes manifests into code-switching, while other times it’s trying to make myself smaller to fit in, but a lot of the time it’s worrying about how people are going to perceive me before I even have the chance to speak.

Joe Briggs spoke about bringing your whole self to the room, and that truly resonated with me.

In such places, I want to make sure that I do not have to leave a part of who I am at the door. Instead I want to be able to bring my experiences and personality to the workplace in a way that enriches it. I was also impressed and appreciated how honest Joe was about his reliance on prayer as a motivator. It was interesting to hear about in the context of the workplace and was something I could particularly relate to as a Muslim who also prioritizes prayer in my daily life.

Addisu Lashitew asked us a challenging question that I’m still thinking about today: What kind of leader do you actually want to be? Am I really who I am? Are you all you ought to be?

While it may seem to be a pretty simple question, it’s a difficult one to answer. Lashitew made sure we answered with real goals and actionable steps, rather than just a vague answer that sounds nice. While I’m still grappling with the question of what kind of leader I want to be, I know that helping others feel like they belong and being responsible for creating opportunities for the people who come after me is at the forefront of my leadership goals.

The conversation with Kirk McDonald on Saturday night also stayed with me. He talked about doing meaningful work and sometimes not getting the recognition you deserve. He was honest about the fact that sometimes things aren’t fair.

That point truly stuck with me, because oftentimes as students, we’re told that our efforts equate to the outcome, and if we work hard, everything will work out. Unfortunately, the truth is you can do everything to perfection and still get overlooked.

I’ve gotten used to the troubles that come with being the only Black person in the room, but at the Academy I didn’t have to think about it. Everyone around me understood certain nuances without me having to provide any explanation, and I didn’t realize how much I needed that until I experienced it.

Being part of the first cohort also makes the experience feel special. We were able to learn from the people who came before us, but we also have the chance to help shape what this program becomes for the students who come after us. I hope the next cohort experiences the same feeling of being understood and supported like we did. I came into the Black Leadership Academy expecting a leadership retreat. I left thinking more seriously about who I want to become, what values I want to hold onto and the kind of impact I want to have in my career.