We’re already nearing the end of the 2020 LEDA Aspects of Leadership Summer Institute! Today, we’e getting a first-hand peek from LEDA Cohort 16 Scholar Jesus B., who’s finishing up the last week of #LEDAsummer.

Jesus had already been excited about the opportunity to spend the summer on Princeton University’s campus when LEDA announced the transition to a remote program back in the spring. Nevertheless, he was convinced that the virtual Summer Institute would be a good experience, thanks to our reputation for outstanding support and results, as well as clear communication from our program leadership on what the summer would entail. “One thing I didn’t fully realize before is that LEDA doesn’t end with just the Summer Institute: it’s ‘LEDA for Life’,” he recalled.

After seven weeks, Jesus feels that it’s been even better than he anticipated, with the LEDA Community being the key factor. “LEDA does a great job of creating safe spaces that allow us to share what we think. It’s been constructive and inspiring to learn from other Scholars’ experiences and to know that LEDA is committed to providing this for us.” He has also appreciated the availability and caring attitude of the staff and older Scholar mentors.

Like many students, Jesus is unsure what the upcoming school year will look like after a spring that abruptly transitioned to distance learning. During the spring and his time with LEDA, he’s developed a few strategies that have helped to keep him on track:

1. Set a dedicated space for learning/schoolwork.
2. Remove distractions from your space while working, like phones.
3. Use a planner/calendar to stay organized and keep important information like Zoom links all in one place.
4. Procrastination and senioritis can be brutal – the biggest step is to just sit down and start.
5. Even if you have a list of ten things to do, you can only do one at a time, so be patient and kind with yourself.