LeaderShape at U-M: Celebration of 35 Years!
Looking Back, Moving Forward…
For 35 years, LeaderShape at the University of Michigan has brought students together to explore their values, build meaningful connections, and discover how they can lead with purpose in their communities and beyond.
M-LEAD is proud to honor this milestone by celebrating the generations of students, alumni, facilitators, and supporters who have shaped the LeaderShape experience at Michigan. This anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on the program’s lasting impact, reconnect our community, and help ensure future students have the opportunity to experience LeaderShape for years to come.
Join us in celebrating 35 years of stories, connections, and leadership—and the many more still to come.
Alumni Spotlights
LeaderShape Alum of 1999 & 2000
“I thought leadership meant that you had to be vocal. That’s how I always tried to lead. But during our big project, my director Anita challenged me to only listen and only talk a few times. It turns out that it gave others a voice and buy-in to the project, a sense of ownership, and took us in a direction that led to a better outcome for our project. Plus, when I spoke, people listened and were more receptive. This led to me leading by listening and guiding rather than talking. It has been extremely impactful in my ability to help others and shape my career.”
–Rob Bertman
LeaderShape Alum of 2007, 2008, & 2009
“When I was first a participant, vision sharing was really difficult, but eventually I got the hang of it, and in later visits I was able to coach other participants along :)”
–David Mickey-Pabello
LeaderShape Alum of 2026
For Deborah, LeaderShape meant connecting with a diverse group of students, each with their own unique path but a shared commitment to becoming the leaders they could be within their own communities. Hearing others’ stories, learning how they hoped to show up in the world, and witnessing their desire to make a positive impact was truly inspirational. The positive energy and shared sense of purpose fostered meaningful connections that might never have happened otherwise. LeaderShape also challenged Deborah to look beyond her own perceptions, reflect on the values that matter most to her, and consider how they shape her leadership growth.
LeaderShape Alum of 2026
“LeaderShape was a necessary escape for me from the daily bustles of life. I remember not having any plans for spring break, so participating in LeaderShape seemed like the logical step for me because it would allow me to get away from campus and meet new people. But, it ended up being more than that. When getting on the bus and embarking on the 3 hour drive to Camp Michigania, I did not know what to expect. Being an out-of-state student, everything was brand new to me, which made it all the more intriguing. I remember that when we finally arrived at the site, our bus ended up getting stuck in the snow, which we were all able to laugh about later on. I believe it was from that moment when things began settling in for everyone concerning the environment of the camp. As we began warming up to one another, I was pleased to see that people were taking the opportunity to actually form real connections with other individuals. This was very beneficial for me as I went into the program blindly without knowing anyone, but by the end of the week I could call everyone there my friend. Although the workshops were very intuitive and did well to help introduce several leadership skills and capabilities, I felt that the most beneficial parts of the trip were the friends I was able to make. I have so many memories of us hanging around talking with one another, and really trying to make the most of our stay there. We would play several rounds of Werewolf, card games, check out the frozen lake, hang out by the boats, go sledding, have campfires, karaoke nights, etc. There were a lots of things to celebrate with one another, and I felt we took full advantage of that. Beyond the scope of LeaderShape, I was motivated to apply myself further by looking into the Engineering Honors Program, exploring the Engineering Global Leadership, and introduced to the Barger Leadership Institute — which I am now an Applied Leadership Fellow for — so there were a lot of benefits gained from participating in this program. All’s to say, I really enjoyed my time at LeaderShape and have seen real growth through my participation, and will forever be grateful for being given the opportunity to attend.”
–Dara Orukotan
LeaderShape Alum of 2012
“Michigan LeaderShape was far ahead of its time in centering challenging yet important topics such as race, identity, belonging, power dynamics, and the implicit biases we all hold. The one memory that stands out to me the most is an exercise we did within our assigned groups where we discussed our own implicit biases, how they shape our view of the world, and what we are doing to challenge them. For me, even participating in this exercise *was* an act of challenging my own, and has stuck with me to this day, 14 years later. I especially believe that “doing the work” is a lifelong journey to unravel these biases, and never stop learning. I also vividly remember our group performing “Closing Time” by Semisonic towards the end of the weekend!”
–Aparna Priyadarshi
LeaderShape Alum of 2010
“I participated in LeaderShape right after finishing my freshman year at Michigan. One of the activities that has stuck with me to this day was creating a newspaper headline imagining what the impact could be of our life’s work was successful. I came up with a headline related to education and establishing a universal curriculum to level the playing field for students. This was the first time I was able to clearly identify education as the field where I wanted to make an impact. The other activities and reflections of the workshop had illuminated something in me and given me clarity that I never had before then. I can clearly point to that moment as the reason I went on to study education policy, work as a teacher, and still work on behalf of students and educators today. In fact, I have written many a cover letter referencing my LeaderShape experience and the direction it gave me.”
–Rohan Dharan
Alumni Location Wall
From Michigan to communities across the country and beyond, LeaderShape alumni continue to lead wherever life takes them.
Ann Arbor, MI · Fargo, ND · Riverside, CA · Washington, DC · St Louis, MO · and beyond…
Don’t see your city? Put it on our list.
Explore the Shop
Wear a Piece of LeaderShape History
Commemorate 35 years of LeaderShape at Michigan with limited-edition anniversary apparel and merchandise inspired by the program’s history and original lightning bolt logo.