Building a strong America means equipping community members with the right skills and tools to be civically engaged. Many people want to be involved in their communities but don’t know how. NLC helps fellows thoughtfully identify community challenges and solutions.

New Leaders Council is one of those organizations that, from the outside, you think will be stiff and unapproachable and that will teach you how to be a leader like all of the stuffy suits we see on C-SPAN. But, from the time you enter LEAD weekend, you start to build a family. Not just people you see once a month, but people who lift you up and help to change your life. New Leaders Council helped me take the leap and create a public office campaign. After announcing my campaign, I immediately had an entire team of cheerleaders. I am so honored to be a part of this organization and it’s large network across the nation of community changers. This experience has taught me to trust myself and always help expand voices and fight for what is right. If there is anything I could tell you, it’s apply, trust the process, and soak up all the knowledge you can.