Eleah's Story

Project LEAD has been one of my highlights during my time here at Wheaton Academy. As a sophomore, I participated in SLAC, and as a junior, I went to the Junior Leadership Academy in preparation for Project LEAD. I was never really sure what team I would be on, but I had always been involved with KAIROS, the international student community at WA. This year, a new Project LEAD team was created: Project LEAD Cross Cultural. When I heard that there would be a project LEAD group designed to build relationships between American and international students, I was stoked! I was not sure what this year would look like, but I was excited to see what God would do.

I met with my team for the first time at the end of junior year, and we began planning things as soon as we came back from summer break. But after the year began, I realized I had made some mistakes in the way I viewed Leadership. First of all, I thought that people would automatically follow me because I was now on Project LEAD. But this could not be farther from the truth! I think that it’s really easy to get caught up in the title of Leadership. But if you are not living your life (or seeking to live your life) in a way that glorifies and points to Christ, you should rethink why you want to be in a Leadership role. Living your life in a way that pulls people to Christ is what will draw people to you and they will want to hear why you’re living your life the way you are. The second mistake I made was thinking that God couldn’t or didn’t want to use me. Again, not true! I was pointed to the story of Moses in the Bible. Moses was reluctant, but God used him to deliver his people from Egypt!

Project LEAD takes a lot of time, commitment, and hard work. And many times, this goes without recognition (which by the way is totally okay). But it is so worth it. I have grown closer to Christ, closer to people on my team, and closer to international students during my time on PLXC. We have gotten to do some really fun things. Some of these have gone well, and others not so much. I have gotten to meet some really neat people. And I have gotten to jump into Leadership and what that is.

If you want to learn more about being a God-centered, humble, selfless leader, Project LEAD is for you! I am so excited to see what this coming year’s project LEAD does, and how you all bring WA closer towards Christ!

Eleah, Class of 2016