IMSA’s Leadership Education & Development program (LEAD) is a student-facilitated course for sophomore students. At IMSA, we believe leadership can be learned through discussion and application. Thus, this course examines various definitions, theories, models, and conceptualizations of leadership. Students are challenged to think critically about leadership during peer-to-peer facilitated class discussions, hands-on exercises, and group work. Students are provided leadership foundations early in the year through LEAD’s CORE Leadership Modules. These modules examine the nature of leadership as it is understood through organizational and psychological models. After the CORE Leadership Modules, LEAD students attend a second semester elective series of their choice.
The mission of LEAD is to foster social awareness and equip students with the resources to enhance their understanding of the inner workings of leadership. During the first semester, students explore what leadership means to them. Students go on to apply leadership through their elective courses in the spring semester. The three electives students may choose from are SocEnt, EnACT, and IMPACT, which center on social entrepreneurship, public policy, and journalism. Students will work on group projects addressing UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG) as a framework to choose a targeted issue and structure their research.
Program infromation will be shared as the beginning of the school year with incoming sophomore classes and their families.
IMSA graduates will be proficient in essential leadership skills and concepts such as communication, service learning, and advocacy. The program also provides opportunities to explore belief systems, values, and ethical decision-making.
Student Leadership Exchange (SLX)
LEAD culminates in the presentation of student projects, developed in elective modules, at the annual Student Leadership Exchange (SLX). The 13th annual SLX will take place April 29th, 2026. SLX provides students an opportunity to present their projects and research to entrepreneurs, visiting professors, experts in their fields, IMSA faculty, state legislators, and most importantly each other. SLX functions much like an academic conference focusing on youth leadership, bringing awareness to social issues from around the world.
Connected to SLX is the long-standing tradition of the Hollister lecture, an annual lecture series sponsored by the family of one of IMSA’s former faculty Dr. Bernard Hollister. The Hollister Lecture series aims to inform students about various social issues and topics in student leadership.
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