I came into the UNIDOS Leadership Institute wanting to learn more about leadership frameworks and how to approach my work more strategically and I gained so much more than that. Through the program, I had the opportunity to learn about different leadership styles and where my gaps are.  I realized something important about myself: what I don’t like to do is typically where I need to improve. That perspective pushed me to grow in ways I hadn’t expected, especially as I continue navigating my role as an assistant professor and director of multiple programs. I now recognize that building buy-in is one of my key strengths, especially in the community-based work and implementation science I engage in.

My project during the institute focused on expanding the Multicultural Bilingual Certificate I lead. The Institute challenged me to think creatively when bureaucracy got in the way of progress on my project. I started dreaming up alternative ways to bypass the current systems that can make change at the university difficult. As a result, one of my proudest accomplishments during the institute was receiving a $25K subaward from the NSF HSI STEM Hub to expand the reach of the certificate program through a new initiative. I wasn’t expecting it at all (writing a grant or getting the award!) but the Institute gave me the structure and confidence to pursue that opportunity.

The Institute also helped me see the importance of sharing and celebrating progress. I have shared my work with leadership, on social media, and have already submitted it to a conference. This has continued to help build momentum and visibility of the project. Overall, ULI was a wonderful experience. I valued the opportunity to learn alongside senior leaders while applying what I learned directly to real challenges I was facing. Based on my experience, my advice to others is simple: Be creative and look for opportunities to bypass the current systems. And if you’re questioning whether to participate in ULI, do it! It’s worth it!

After the UNIDOS Leadership Institute, my project was to expand paid summer research opportunities for students. I knew this was something our students needed, but I also knew I needed help turning that idea into something more concrete, realistic, and actionable. 
One of the most valuable things I learned through the Institute is that having a good idea is only the starting point. Moving an idea forward also requires planning, partnerships, clear communication, and attention to timing and resources. As I worked on this project, I began exploring multiple pathways, including grants, donor support, and community partnerships. I also had the opportunity to present to the Board of Trustees about undergraduate research as a transformative educational practice, which helped me think about how to communicate the value of this work to different audiences. The Institute helped me break a large goal into smaller, more concrete steps. It pushed me to think about what I could do next, and what kinds of support would make the work possible. 
One of the best parts of the Institute was building a network with other faculty outside my own institution. Having time to talk with people who were also trying to move meaningful projects forward was motivating and helpful. 

This experience also shifted how I think about leadership. I used to think of leadership as something more formal, or something you had to already feel confident doing. But working on this project helped me see it differently. Leadership can also be noticing a real need, building a plan, asking the right people for advice, and continuing the work even when it is slow or messy. The UNIDOS Leadership Institute gave me the space, structure, and accountability to work on a goal that really matters to me. My work isn’t done, but I now have multiple pathways to pursue and a stronger sense of how to keep going. The process itself was really valuable. 

The UNIDOS Leadership Institute offered advantages over other leadership training programs I have completed. Most importantly, the ULI is built specifically around leadership in academic settings; most leadership training programs draw from the corporate leadership literature and framework, which differs significantly from higher education’s power hierarchies, goals, leverage points, and reward systems. This, combined with the uniformity of goals, approaches, and background of corporate leaders, means that most training programs relay information not applicable to higher education settings. The UNIDOS Institute has been developed by academics in STEM who draw on the experiences and expertise of a diversity of campus voices that frame leadership in the context of higher education governance. In addition, the ULI uses a project developed by each participant as a learning vehicle to generate tangible progress on trainee goals during the one-year program. Together, these facets of the Institute make it uniquely useful. 

My experience in the ULI occurred during a time of significant uncertainty in higher education, shaped by externally imposed changes that devalue the experiences of people from populations marginalized in STEM, and that defunded work around targeted student success programming. The Institute helped me navigate this new terrain by re-envisioning programming paths to student success. It was validating to train, wrestle with these issues, and build community with like-minded faculty from across the country. The focus on academic governance, development of individual projects, and building of community among participants, the Institute helped us develop skills, tangible programming, and a peer network that will make us all more effective academic leaders.