For a group of Hastings College sophomores, a recent week in Ireland became a master class in leadership, belonging and community building.
Note: This is just part of a full piece originally published on the Flatwater Free Press website. Read the full article here.
Standing on the wind-whipped cliffs of Donegal or catching waves at Rossnowlagh Beach does not look like traditional workforce development. But for a group of Hastings College sophomores, a recent week in Ireland became a master class in leadership, belonging and community building.
Over a single week, these students explored what it means to build places people care about and wrestled with big questions about identity and responsibility. Their biggest takeaway? Meaningful change does not begin with massive institutions. It begins with small groups of passionate people who care deeply about their communities and each other.
These students are part of the Scott Scholars program at Hastings College. Through a partnership with the Walter Scott Family Foundation, the college invests more than $200,000 over four years in each scholar. The program recently expanded to accept 15 students per year.
But the goal goes far beyond funding an education. The program is designed to develop community-rooted leaders who see a long-term future for themselves in Nebraska.
Beyond Following Directions
Dave Rippe, director of the program, believes many traditional educational systems reward students primarily for compliance and task completion. Real-world civic and economic challenges, however, require something different: people capable of analyzing situations, navigating ambiguity, building relationships and taking ownership of difficult problems.
“We work to help students realize the world is bigger than where they are, while also helping them understand the importance of serving the communities around them,” Rippe said. “We want students to become builders and contributors — people who can analyze, make decisions and take meaningful action. You can never consume enough to find fulfillment. But people who build, lead and contribute discover genuine purpose.”