East Michigan News

Mariel Luecke’s first day at Central Michigan University (CMU) in 2021 was marked by unfamiliar faces hidden behind masks. As a high school senior, she knew the names and faces of her peers, but on this day, she only recognized Kaitlyn Mack, whom she had met during a gradual June reveal.

Luecke and Mack were paired through the Sarah R. Opperman Leadership Institute's mentoring program for incoming students. Mack also participated in Leadership Safari as one of the program’s mentor guides.

Upon arriving at her residence hall room that evening, Luecke found a “Welcome Home” sign from Mack. This gesture and Mack’s mentorship over the following months were pivotal to Luecke's success at CMU.

“Without Leader Advancement Scholars, I don’t know how I’d be doing at Central,” Luecke said. Both shared a common interest in pursuing careers in education, which strengthened their bond.

Mack's experience as an incoming freshman in fall 2020 was different due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges, when she arrived at her residence hall room, there was also a “Welcome Home” sign waiting for her. She met her mentor Donna Diggs who introduced her to friends and guided her around campus.

According to Dan Gaken, director of the Leadership Institute, the mentoring program that paired Luecke with Mack and Mack with Diggs developed organically into family trees where mentors provided more support to their mentees.

Throughout the school year, Mack and Diggs frequently communicated and bonded over shared religious beliefs through family dinners and other activities. These experiences helped Mack learn how to prioritize mentees' needs effectively.

“It’s about ‘What she needs as a mentee,’” Mack stated.

Diggs’ mentoring journey began when she met Shelby Trevino during a campus visit amidst an approaching winter storm. Trevino gave them a private tour which solidified Diggs' decision to attend CMU despite relocating from Iowa to Michigan as her family moved to New York State.

Mentors select mentees based on biographical sketches provided by incoming students, improving match success rates. Trevino chose Diggs due to their mutual involvement in sororities which further strengthened their bond.

Diggs discovered that her Leader Advancement Scholars family had deep roots within the program's history tracing back up to Gaken himself. They even posed for pictures wearing Burger King crowns as a playful nod to their "leadership lineage."

Now an alumnus herself, Diggs applies lessons learned from Leadership Safari in leading a team of seven people in New York.

“Going through the Leadership Institute has made me more confident in that role,” she said.

Trevino remains on campus studying to become a physician assistant while living close by in Beal City as the daughter of a CMU employee.

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