Need 2 Lead

On May 14 – 17, the Office of Admissions welcomed our second class of students for our annual Need 2 Lead (N2L) program. N2L is a an intense leadership weekend created and organized by the UNCW Office of Admissions and is designed for action-oriented rising high school juniors who want to make a difference in their communities. The program aims to enhance the students’ leadership skills and help them establish a community service project of their choice. One hundred and fifty students were nominated and 15 students and 5 UNCW mentors were selected to participate by an application process.


Each participant was assigned to a UNCW mentor for the weekend experience and the academic school year following the program. Students and mentors attended leadership workshops which included conflict resolution, self esteem, public speaking, fundraising, networking and many more! On Friday, we participated in a low outdoors course. During the course, we learned that each of our participants and UNCW student mentors had many different leadership qualities but all contributed to the challenges, creating an instant N2L team. We also had the opportunity to practice our networking skills at a business social and let loose on the dance floor afterwards… yes even the admissions staff can learn a few dance moves! The program ended with a closing ceremony that included the N2L students, their families, UNCW mentors and staff, some of the leadership presenter and even guest speaker Mayor Bill Saffo. Many of the N2L students are interested in returning to UNCW and have asked for a N2L reunion at next years leadership symposium.

The 15 students chosen for N2L were not only are they the top students in their high schools, but many of them are more involved in their communities than I ever imagined being when I was their age not too long ago. They dance, they sing, they act and more importantly, they are completely aware of the world outside of their home. These students are rising stars and UNCW looks forward to working with them throughout the following year.

If you are interested in becoming part of N2L next spring, please visit the Need 2 Lead website for more information.