This post is authored by Jared Staley, OSU Chapter Member, Co-Chair of Student Advisory Board and Student Board Member
In the fall of 2011, I began my time with Nourish International at The Ohio State University. Little did I know, this organization would light a fire inside of me and lead me down an incredible path. Nourish excited me because of its close community of leaders and the ability to really see how one individual can have a strong and lasting impact. Nourish International has helped me, as it has many other students, grow into a caring and compassionate leader. I began my time with Nourish as a general body member, and later took on the Marketing, Co-Leader, and Outreach positions within my Chapter. Today, I work with Nourish on a movement scale as Co-Chair of the Student Advisory Board and Student Board Member with the Board of Directors. The opportunities that Nourish provides students to develop as a true leader are endless.
Nourish International abled me to develop my leadership abilities unlike any other organization. From day one, I was made to feel like someone who had something to offer to the group. I was made to feel important. As I began to take on more leadership, I had my predecessors to look to. The leaders that came before me were honest, caring, supportive, and above all passionate. Nourish has taught me that to be a leader is to be a motivator. You are not required to have all the right answers nor all of the questions. To be a successful leader you have to be open to your peers. Nourish has taught me that leadership isn't a place of power but a place of belief, love, and drive. As a leader, you need to have belief in your abilities, your peers' abilities, and a collective mission. A Nourish Leader values the success of a collective, rather than the success of the singular.
Every member in Nourish International is a leader. We are a community of leaders that is constantly holding each other to higher standards, asking each other to be and do better. A Nourish Leader is a person who is able to see the abilities in others. They are able to take someone higher and bring out the leader in everyone. It's that kind of community that makes the greatest of leaders.
