Meet Oyinkansola Romiluyi – Student Leadership Facilitator

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ILead is hiring Student Leadership Facilitators for the 2016-2017 school year! Student Leadership Facilitators facilitate, promote, and give feedback on a series of leadership development workshops for both undergraduate and graduate students (ILead Leadership Labs). They will leverage their experience as student leaders to engage others in skill development.

We asked the 2015-2016 Student Leadership Facilitators for their perspective on their role and leadership. Take a look at Oyinkansola Romiluyi‘s (ChemE 1T5 + PEY) answers below!

What inspired you to get involved with ILead’s leadership labs?

I felt that being a Student Leadership Facilitator would grant me the rare opportunity to develop students in their leadership skills, using experiences from my time as an undergraduate and full-time employee, and it would allow me to further develop my mentorship, leadership, interpersonal relationship, and facilitation skills. I thought it would create a two-way learning environment where the students and I learned from each other as we explored leadership development in different contexts, whether academic, professional, or personal. And it did.

What have you learned about yourself by facilitating the labs?

I’ve realized and been told on a number of occasions that I am a natural presenter/public speaker and facilitator. I’ve also seen that I can increase my capacity for leadership without being in a formal or traditional leadership position as in a team lead or a student group executive, for example. I’ve grown and learned so much about myself with respect to leadership, feedback, conflict, public speaking, facilitation, and interpersonal relationships in just two semesters.

What has been your favourite moment or experience as a facilitator?

Co-facilitating the team conflict sessions in the full day Leadership Lab on Team Skills and the two separate Leadership Labs following it. I had never felt so in control and in command of the material and as confident in my delivery as I was in those sessions.

What does leadership mean to you? Has your perspective changed since being involved as a facilitator?

Yes, in light of what I have discovered about myself and the personal leadership development I’ve undergone through  as a Student Leadership Facilitator, I can say that my perspective of leadership has changed. It no longer comes through a role or position I occupy, but it comes from within me, in any role, position, or situation I find myself in. Now being a leader is being able to enact what I have learnt so far about feedback, conflict, public speaking, facilitation, interpersonal relationships, team work, and other aspects of leadership development in my dealings with people and in the course of any initiative or project I may be involved in.