Guadalupe Center brought together local business professionals, community leaders and Tutor Corps students on October 12 for its annual Leadership Day, a day dedicated to helping high school juniors and seniors strengthen their leadership skills, explore professional perspectives and prepare for future success.
The event centered on developing a leadership mentality, encouraging the students to reflect on how their beliefs, expectations and attitudes shape the way they lead and work toward common goals.
“Leadership Day gives our students the opportunity to learn directly from people who have built careers, led teams and made a difference in their communities,” said Dawn Montecalvo, president and CEO of Guadalupe Center. “These conversations help students broaden their perspectives, build confidence and recognize the many ways they can lead in their own lives and future careers.”
Throughout the day, students participated in a panel discussion and question-and-answer session featuring professionals from healthcare, finance, engineering and law. The panel was moderated by Cynthia Lammert of J.P. Morgan Private Bank and included Yerika Benitez, director of critical care at NCH; Paige Giannetti, retired engineering executive from GOJO Industries; and Jamie Goodman, attorney with Wilson & Johnson.
Blake Gable, CEO of Barron Collier Companies, delivered the keynote address, sharing insights from his professional and community leadership experience. Students also participated in an etiquette presentation led by Victoria Latavish and small-group roundtable discussions with local professionals, providing opportunities to ask questions, exchange ideas and learn from leaders across a range of industries.
“For high school students, this is such an exciting point in their lives where there is an entire world of possibility ahead of them, but there is also tremendous pressure to already know what comes next,” said Cynthia Lammert of J.P. Morgan Private Bank, who has moderated the Leadership Day panel for more than three years. “I love moderating this panel, providing an opportunity to hear from professionals who have taken different paths, faced challenges, changed direction, taken risks, learned from failure, and discovered opportunities they may have never anticipated. If one student leaves the room thinking a little bigger, feeling more confident about what is possible, or understanding they don’t have to have everything figured out today, then the conversation mattered.”
Leadership Day is part of Guadalupe Center’s ongoing commitment to supporting students as they pursue educational achievement and career success. Through its Tutor Corps program, Guadalupe Center provides high school students with scholarships, mentorship and guidance as they prepare for college and beyond. 100% of Tutor Corps students are accepted into college and upon completion 95% are employed in their field of study or enrolled in grad school within 6 months of graduation.
Guadalupe Center serves more than 2,000 students each year in Immokalee, providing educational support from early childhood through college graduation. Its programs are designed to help students build the skills, confidence and foundation they need to reach their full potential.
