As an institution, the College of Mount St. Joseph is built upon the tenets of leadership through service. The mission of the College was written specifically to embrace the virtues of integrating the lessons that can be learned in the academic environment with the lessons that can be learned from the world around us.
Students choose to attend the Mount for a myriad of reasons, whether it be academic programs, athletics, legacy, or proximity. Whatever the reason, every student is given the opportunity to discover the leader inside him or her.
Meet Samantha Gaier
Senior interior design major Samantha Gaier is one of those students. Not satisfied with a “status-quo” college experience, Samantha has utilized the Mount’s community-oriented learning approach to become a leader and live the mission of the Mount out loud.
Throughout her life, Samantha has not been one for idle time. Growing up in Piqua, Ohio, she attended a small Catholic high school, Lehman High School, whose size, opportunities and purpose echo those of the Mount. For as long as she can remember, Samantha was involved in many different clubs enabling her to develop the leadership skills that would help define her actions and purpose. A menagerie of clubs such as Mock Trial, 4-H, Girl Scouts, Pro-Life Guard, Student Government, and Big Buddies & Big Sisters, pepper her past with healthy doses of experiential learning.
When asked why she was involved with so many different endeavors, her answer is surprisingly simple, “I have a lot of interests and I like to stay busy with as many things as possible. Even when I have free time I find something to do. I love meeting new people. I’ve always had Catholic schooling in my life and have been encouraged to do service. That’s why a lot of the things I’ve involved myself in are service oriented. I was brought up to do good and my strong faith has taught me to give back to others.”
While Samantha’s passion has always been in the world of the art, her extracurricular involvements have tapped into her leadership potential. “I’ve always felt ‘called’ to do things like this. I would describe this as an early vocation that carried through to college as a natural progression. It’s almost become a habit.”
Samantha’s “habit” has benefitted the Mount community since her enrollment in 2007. She almost didn’t consider the Mount as an option until she attended a Get Acquainted Day and met with art faculty member, Jerry Bellas, MFA. “I knew the Mount
had a strong Catholic base and a great art program. My Mom actually suggested I visit. The school had a completely different feel from a big school and I was blown away,” Samantha recalls.
“With a big school, I wouldn’t have been able to get involved or I would have had to work my way up to a position where I could really have made a difference. Starting with my freshman year, I was encouraged to get involved and I jumped at the chance.”
Aside from her Honors studies, her biggest passion is the Lions for Life club. Although she was involved with a pro-life group while attending Lehman, at the Mount she found that the club was dormant, without much direction. The leader inside her sprung into action as she took on the role of president with the sole purpose of breathing new life into the group. “Being the president as a freshman was a little intimidating because you have people looking at you for answers and I was just trying to figure things out for myself. I knew I didn’t want Lions for Life to simply focus on the abortion issue. We try to look at other diverse issues that affect peoples’ lives.”
The group’s big event is the March for Life in Washington, D.C., but Samantha has found ways to branch out into new areas. The club sponsors Movies that Matter, showcasing films that encourage discussion about issues affecting the world today. Movies such as “Wall-E” (the environment), “Dead Man Walking” (capital punishment) and “Juno” (teenage pregnancy) are used as a means of starting dialogue within the Mount community. Samantha reflects: “As I get ready to step aside as president and turn things over to the underclassmen, I feel confident that things have progressed to where the club can continue to keep the members interested and engaged.”
Samantha’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. On October 21, 2010, as part of the Women of Excellence Program, Samantha was recognized with the Young Woman of Tomorrow award by the YWCA in her hometown of Piqua. This award is given to a woman who shows qualities of leadership, a high level of achievement and the traits of a young role model for women.
This prestigious honor was bestowed upon her thanks to a nomination by her high school teacher, Ginny Scherer, SC, ’62. The nomination was then supported by letters of recommendation from Mount faculty members Mary Bookser, SC, Ph.D., ’67 and Elizabeth Bookser Barkley, Ph.D., ’70, representing a bridge between her leadership in high school and her accomplishments in college.
Meet Andy Leisring
While Samantha exercises her leadership in a local capacity, Andrew Leisring, a sophomore nursing major, showcases his leadership on an international scale. Andy lives the Mount’s mission by taking part in Lions for Life, Campus Ministry Leadership Team and the Student Affairs Committee. When he’s not in class, he’s working as a Level-2 technical support person for the Mount’s ISS Department. However, Andy’s true passion is for parts of the world very few have even dreamed of visiting.
To date, Andy has traveled to Honduras and Sudan on medical missions with a group called Volunteers in Medical Mission (VIMM) based in South Carolina, with trips to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and another tour in Sudan scheduled for this year. He says, “There is something so unique and special about waking up and knowing that what you are going to do that day changes many people’s lives for the better, with people who share that same zeal for helping others. There is no equivalent to this level of satisfaction.”
Andy visited Honduras for the first time as a senior at Cincinnati’s Elder High School. It was something that his parents encouraged and he instantly fell in love with the experience. Like many high school seniors, Andy had no clue what he wanted to do upon graduation. He considered the Marines until his mother, an employee in the Mount’s Children’s Center, introduced him to what the Mount has to offer. He was impressed with the school and was encouraged by the Mount’s mission. According to Andy, “As a happy coincidence, the mission of the Mount runs parallel to my endeavors.”
With the impression of Honduras still lingering, Andy began talking with an advisor about Sudan, described as “the worst of the worst.” In fact, a year before he was set to leave, the Sudanese government ordered all aid workers out of the country due to increasing violence. Nearly two weeks after VIMM workers withdrew from the village they were aiding, the government killed 400 villagers simply for being associated with that group. Andy wanted to be a part of VIMM even after hearing about this atrocity. Andy explains, “There are some things worth doing and dying for. If I died, that would bring more attention to the cause in Sudan. Being Catholic, I have faith that something better awaits.”
The harsh conditions of Sudan were apparent from the time he got off the plane. Asked to describe Sudan, he says, “HOT! One hundred fifteen degrees with vultures flying all around.
There are flies everywhere, even on people’s eyes. The kids are so malnourished they won’t even blink when flies land on their eyes. The prized possession in Sudan is cattle. Cattle buys wives and more wives equal more daughters. The men then sell the daughters for even more cattle. That’s the hierarchy of things.”
Andy explains, “I don’t expect most people to go to Sudan, but the stories I bring back might help others understand what’s going on there. There is inherent power in the stories … the power of awareness.” Andy’s uplifting stories illustrate the harsh realities of a Third World country while revealing the true capacity of human compassion. He recalls assisting in not one, but two child deliveries in the middle of the night. Making this experience even more remarkable was that both deliveries occurred illuminated by flashlight, and in beds taken outside of the church where they were staying.
Andy’s decision to go into nursing at the Mount was a conscious decision based on his experiences on these trips. “If I’m called to work at a Third World hospital, that’s great. If I’m called to work at a local hospital, that’s fine, too. My biggest concern is that I’m doing something that makes a difference in the lives of others.”
Andy relishes the fact that during his next trip to Sudan he will be running a medical lab that screens blood samples for serious diseases. This type of work melds together the medical expertise he is gaining as a Mount student with his passion and undeniable spirit to help people.
With wildly divergent stories, these two bright leaders represent the power of a person’s potential for the greater good. Whether it’s being a role model to young women, or going to great lengths to help those in dire need, these two students epitomize ethical leadership and an unquenchable desire to inspire change.
Craig Beesten has been a member of the Mount’s admission team for seven years. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English and literature from the University of Cincinnati in 2001, and he is currently enrolled in the Mount’s Master of Science in Organizational Leadership program with a graduation date of May 2011. Craig currently lives in Eastgate with his wife and two young daughters.