Wisconsin Undergrad Learns Leadership Lessons In Majestic New Zealand
Teshona D. Evans reaches her leadership peak.
Even with her quiet confidence to rely upon, Teshona D. Evans, a senior elementary education major at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, felt fear overtake her when she faced the tunnel.
It was muddy, cramped and pitch dark inside. To get through it, Evans and 16 other participants in the Challenge New Zealand leadership program were to slide on their knees and elbows, one in front of the other, using directions from an instructor to guide them out.
“At that moment, I was more scared than I’ve ever been in my life,” says Evans, a 22-year-old from Kenosha, Wis.
Until that point, the program had been a breeze for Evans.
Rock climbing. Building a raft out of inner tubes and floating it down the river. Even rappelling off a cliff.
“All of the activities we did were a piece of cake,” says Evans, who aspires to teach middle school math and eventually coach basketball at a college level.
But somehow, crawling through a dark tunnel — less physically daring than previous exercises — placed Evans at an emotional crossroads.
Should she walk away? Or face down her fear?
“One of the girls said, ‘T, you have to do it. We’re all here for you,’” she says.
So with her group to lean on, Evans allowed herself to be led through what turned out to be a straight-shot tunnel, emerging into the daylight with a new piece of knowledge: Leading is also about following.
“You can’t do everything alone,” she says. “There will always be people there to motivate you. It’s okay to be afraid. I think we learn the most in any situation when we are afraid.”
Lessons in leadership
Such pivotal personal-growth moments are at the heart of Challenge New Zealand, a two-week, for-credit course started in 2006 by AustraLearn / AsiaLearn / EuroLearn – Educational Programs of GlobaLinks.
“To date, students who are actually studying leadership make up a minority of the students who go on the program,” says Steve Luther, AustraLearn’s manager of specialty programs and development, one of two leaders on the January 2009 trip. “It draws a very wide range of majors, yet they’re all coming together for a common purpose.”
The goal of Challenge New Zealand, currently offered in January and summer and accredited through the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, is to give students useful leadership tools to benefit their lives and careers, Luther says.
This is done through a blend of textbook study, adventure activities amid New Zealand’s breath-taking landscape, cultural lessons and exposure to the country’s indigenous Maori population, inspirational instructors on various leadership topics and related journaling and essay writing.
“Where the program really comes together for most students is at the Outdoor Pursuits Centre,” Luther says, speaking of The Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre of New Zealand, named after the famous mountain climber and located near three of New Zealand’s most spectacular volcanic peaks.
“That’s where it transitions from a cool, fun program where you’re seeing New Zealand and learning about Maori culture,” he says, “to where it hits home front and center.”
Spirituality deepens
Evans, who traveled overseas previously to Brazil, decided to enroll in Challenge New Zealand because she loves exploring the world and meeting new people.
“I eventually want to be a leader and a coach,” says the former college basketball player, girls’ basketball coach and fan of Pat Summit, the renowned University of Tennessee women’s basketball coach. “Leadership is something you can never have too much understanding about.”
Evans says she got much more than she bargained for in New Zealand.
“I knew we were going to learn about leadership, and leadership comes with teamwork,” she says, “but I didn’t expect it to the extreme. What I mean by that, really, is how you use it every day.”
Evans, who describes herself as a spiritual person, says New Zealand helped her focus on her faith even more. She found the Outdoor Pursuits Centre, in particular, to be an appropriate setting for the personal and leadership lessons.
“It was very much a calming place,” she says. “Every day, I felt like sitting and reflecting on the day. That’s just how peaceful it was on my mind.”
Since returning from New Zealand, Evans has decided to apply for a one-year program at Kanakuk Bible Institute in Branson, Mo., where she worked two previous summers at a children’s summer camp.
“God has been part of my life ever since I was in middle school,” she says. “It’s continuing to grow.”
As she got to know the other members of her Challenge New Zealand group, Evans discovered their individual strengths and how leadership comes in many different forms.
She also learned about stepping back sometimes.
“I’m usually always the person getting everyone together,” Evans says. “But when I was in New Zealand, everyone took initiative, and I wasn’t the one that was always stepping up.”
“That was awesome to me,” she says, “seeing people willing to step up and do the work and give it their all.”
- Stacey Hartmann
GlobaLinks NewsWire Editor
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