To apply for a position on the Emerging Leaders Program Student Executive Board, please complete the student profile and submit a copy of your resume to Melissa Lulay (Melissa.Lulay@Marist.edu) by Wednesday, March 27th at 9:00 am. To learn more about the Student Executive Board, a job description is provided here.
Major: Psychology Minors: Sociology and Social Work
Why I joined ELP/NSLS: I joined NSLS and ELP at Marist, to surround myself with some of the best leaders and be able to engage with these individuals. I knew college would stretch my ideas and perspectives, and when NSLS and ELP were presented to me, I knew I needed to be involved with. If I truly wanted to grow as a leader, I knew I needed this to achieve my life goals. The Emerging Leaders Program is a program that has challenged my thinking and has guided me to be the leader I am today.
How ELP/NSLS has helped you: ELP and NSLS have opened the doors to many different opportunities and allowed me to meet many inspiring people! The people I have been able to connect with are people that I look up to, and have the ability to learn from them! Some of the most genuine people who also just want to become better leaders! This program has allowed my mind and ideas to be stretched father than I could have imagined! I always wanted to be a better leader, and being involved with ELP and NSLS was the first and most important step! I have learned many life lessons that I hold close to my heart!
How ELP/NSLS has helped you: ELP and NSLS have opened the doors to many opportunities and allowed me to meet many inspiring people. The people I have been able to connect with are people that I look up to, and have the ability to learn from them. Some of the most genuine people who also want to become better leaders! This program has stretched my mind and ideas further than I could have imagined! I always wanted to be a better leader, and being involved with ELP and NSLS was the first and most important step! I have learned many life lessons that I hold close to my heart!
Additional on/off campus leadership and involvement: On campus, I am involved with Marist Ambassadors and the Department of Spiritual Life and Service (formerly Campus Ministry), where I am constantly around different ideas and people from various walks of life. I am also a Resident Assistant in Sheahan Hall, working with first-year students! I am from Brookfield, Connecticut, where I work at an ice cream shop over the summer and longer breaks. During the past summer, I interned at Dr. Roseann's in Ridgefield, Connecticut, focusing on holistic mental health treatments for kids and young adults.
Why Marist students should get involved with ELP/NSLS: ELP and NSLS, have a special place in my heart; the people I am surrounded by are some of the most supportive and kindhearted individuals. The professors I have been able to be in the presence of and listen to their perspectives on leadership is something I will never forget. I constantly tell prospective students to join NSLS or ELP, if they attend Marist because it is a gift that shouldn't be overlooked, and it opens many doors for the future.
Fun fact: I love coffee!
Basma Awadallah, '24 Social Media/Publicity Chair
Major: Biomedical Sciences on the Pre-Med Track with a minor in Communications with a concentration in Journalism
Why I joined ELP/NSLS: I joined ELP/NSLS to enhance my leadership skills and learn how to lead through a community-based leadership strategy where everyone’s voice is heard, understood, and taken into consideration, creating an environment of success and support for everyone involved.
How ELP/NSLS has helped you? ELP/NSLS has helped me connect with like-minded people who value leadership and inclusion. It has given me ways to enhance my skills and add to them helping me become the best version of myself. Skills that I have gained and were enhanced through the program include time management skills, communication skills, teamwork, and cooperation skills. This program is also helping me discover new ways to become a community-based leader, creating an environment where everyone’s ideas and opinions are heard and reciprocated.
Additional on/off campus leadership and involvement:
In addition to serving as the social media and publicity chair for ELP, I hold the position of secretary within the Marist Muslim Student Association.
Beyond the campus sphere, I am EMT certified, and I serve as a medical and lab assistant at The Children’s Medical Group of Pediatric Associates Clinic. Moreover, I have completed a comprehensive internship that provided me the opportunity to shadow both an orthopedic surgeon and a Gastroenterologist in various clinical settings. Beyond my medical pursuits, I take on the responsibility of a project coordinator for a prestigious national lighthouse conference, facilitating connections among Muslims across the United States and fostering collaborative charitable initiatives. My commitment extends to volunteering with MHA (Mental-Health America), specifically contributing to their pediatric respite program.
Lastly, I am very passionate about equity and inclusivity, I believe that the minute we stop fighting for each other is the minute we lose our humanity, which is why I was sponsored by NYU to present in Brooklyn Law School to professors and community members about ways in which professors could become mentors helping build relationships with students while creating a place for celebration and support to student’s diversity.
Why Marist students should get involved with ELP/NSLS: Marist students should get involved in ELP/NSLS to learn new ways to lead others with kindness while also learning how to make a positive impact on others within their sphere of influence. The program helps students gain skills that will help them immensely even after their Marist journey is over. Through the program, one can learn from brilliant leaders and Marist professionals as well as their colleagues’ experiences and journeys and add that knowledge to their own. The sooner we can realize the power in ourselves, our journeys, and each other to make the world a better place by one act of kindness at a time, the faster we will transform this world for a more inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone.
Fun Fact: I was born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt and I moved to USA on my birthday!
Sandra Matute, '25 SNT Chair
Major: Biology with a minor in Psychology
Why I joined ELP/NSLS: I joined the Emerging Leaders Program because I felt that meeting and listening to leaders talk about their passions and experiences would allow me to enhance my communication skills, connect with more people, and overall grow on a personal as well as a professional level. Seeking for guidance in this program has helped me develop skills to prepare me for any important role I may take in the future.
How ELP/NSLS has helped you? In being part of ELP, I have learned about, attained, and applied various skills presented at the workshops to my role as a student, teammate, leader, and person overall. ELP welcomed me into Marist, helping me adapt and grow my previously acquired leadership skills. This program has also become a safe place for me; a place where I am surrounded by students who are ambitious, resilient, and who unite to support one another. I've enhanced my leadership skills in becoming more open minded to different perspectives, reliable to those around me, spreading positivity through the lessons revealed and learned at workshops, as well as develop connections with those in my community. Because of the motivated students and encouraging staff within this program, I have gotten one step ahead as an individual in visualizing and accomplishing my personal, as well as educational goals.
Additional on/off campus leadership and involvement: As a freshman at Marist College living on campus, I played a big role in both, my community at home and our community at Marist. When I go home on the weekends I participate in events held by my church, Saint Francis of Assisi. I attend youth group meetings and participate in food drives, donations, as well as prepare and deliver goods for those in poverty to several locations. Off campus I am also an associate at a retail store where I assist customers in any purchase, return, or questions they may have. On campus, I dedicate two hours of every week to help out the community by tutoring children at Warring Elementary School and attend all the Department of Spiritual Life and Service (formerly Campus Ministry) meetings. I also am part of Psychology Club, Women's Spirit, Habitat for Humanity, and a member of Marist's Professional Pre-Health Co-Ed Fraternity, Delta. Epsilon Mu.
Why Marist students should get involved with ELP/NSLS: Marist students should get involved with the ELP/ NSLS because through the great scope of workshops and opportunities this program provides for students, we are able to learn about leading others in a kind, positive, and impactful way. All students have the potential to be a positive impact to the community which can be achieved through the ELP/NSLS by their guidance in helping us develop better character skills. Moreover, by being surrounded with students who have similar goals in taking leadership to help the community, students will build a support system to help one another throughout this journey.
Fun fact: I am very passionate about fitness!
Stacey Abbeo, '25 General Board Member
Major: Psychology with a Paralegal Certificate
Why I joined ELP/NSLS: I joined ELP because I believed it would develop my leadership skills, my leadership potential, and expand my knowledge on what great leadership is. Thankfully, I was right.
Additional on/off campus leadership and involvement: Just to highlight two, I am the treasurer for the African Students' Association of Marist where I manage the club's budget and plan events that support the mission of the club with the help of my fellow board members. I am also the current Distant Student Representative of SGA and I advocate for the needs of all distant students.
Why Marist students should get involved with ELP/NSLS: From my experience, being a member of ELP and the NSLS in my freshman year really equipped me with some strategies and lessons which are necessary to be a good leader and a good teammate. I feel like once resources as such are made available, they are to the benefit of everyone and everyone should be encouraged to join and learn.
Fun fact(s): I was born in the US but lived in Ghana till I was eighteen.
Kailey Levinson, '26 General Board Member
Major: Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Music
Why I joined ELP/NSLS: I joined the ELP/NSLS in order to strengthen my leadership and interpersonal communication skills while being surrounded by like-minded students aiming for the similar goals as myself. Successful leadership is an attribute that I sincerely value, and have valued for as long as I remember. Through the workshops, webcasts, and SNTs, I feel empowered to positively lead others, and take action in my community.
Additional on/off campus leadership and involvement: Some of my additional on campus involvements include North Road Communications, the Marist College Singers, The Enharmonics (A cappella group), Women in Business, and the American Marketing Association.
Why Marist students should get involved with ELP/NSLS: Marist students should get involved with the ELP/NSLS not only to be inspired as a leader, but to be inspired as a person. Members get to witness outstanding and credible individuals who are selected to present valuable lessons and important topics during workshops and webcasts. Being involved in such a prestigious program also allows you to build connections with other student leaders and provides opportunities to network with faculty and staff.
Fun Fact: I love taking in the views of our beautiful campus!
