My name is Agnes Igodan and I am a member of African Youth League, an African Awareness Organization on campus. This summer I attended The LeaderShape Institute in Wooster, Ohio with about 56 current OSU students.

“The LeaderShape Institute is an intensive, energizing and unique six-day educational experience designed to develop young adults to lead with integrity. At the LeaderShape Institute, participants create a LeaderShape Project to work on when they leave. The objective of each participant’s project is to create an extraordinary improvement in his or her organization or community during the next nine to 12 months. The Institute develops participants to effectively implement their project,” according to the organization.

Now why I am telling this? Well, my week spent at Wooster involves you, the Buckeyes. All the participants at LeaderShape ’04 were challenged to develop a Breakthrough Blueprint (a vision) during the week.

My vision was to increase awareness of all cultural organizations to students on the main campus. By doing this I hope to create a coalition where all the cultural organizations on campus could help each other with different events or issues that they wish to discuss. I have this vision because I realize that some cultural groups on campus, especially the smaller groups, really need support and can’t get it.

Are we really diverse? Ohio State has such a diverse campus in Columbus, but often times I see people that still surround themselves with their own ethnic group. I believe we as a community can step outside our comfort zones and learn to meet other people.

My brother once said, “Where else will you find a Chinese, a Ghanaian, an Australian, a Taiwanese, a Malaysian, etc. leaving/learning in the same institution together?”

At OSU we have this diversity, and I encourage every one of you to go out, embrace and explore the uniqueness of students around you. By forming this coalition/large network on campus, cultural organizations are able to build close relationships within themselves, and diversify the OSU campus. I have already shared my vision with President Holbrook and she was glad of my goal to “coordinate activities among the various cultural organizations.”

I plan to visit different cultural organizations during their meetings in the fall to share my vision with them. If anyone has any suggestions for me, feel free to e-mail me.

Agnes A. IgodanEconomics major