Incarnate Word Academy continues to grow its Young Leaders Program by offering leadership coaching to its students starting in the fall of 2019. Students will have the opportunity to meet with a faculty coach during their high school years to complete 12 developmental steps culminating in the creation of a capstone project known as an “extraordinary solution.” The leadership development steps will ensure that each student leader engages in all of their activities with intention and forethought, integrating opportunities for academic enrichment, co-curricular involvement and their extraordinary solution.

For seven years, IWA has offered a one-of-a-kind leadership curriculum of four courses that allow students to earn a Concentration in Leadership Studies. This year, 70 percent of IWA graduates will earn this distinction.

“While the courses offer a unique and valuable head start for our students, what will truly drive their success in college and beyond is how to apply the principles to their everyday lives,” said IWA principal, Dr. Mary Aamodt.

The coaches will work with students to help them select formal enrichment opportunities, make meaningful impacts in their co-curricular activities, and coach them through the visioning and completion of their extraordinary solution.

“Students get involved in a multitude of activities and often find themselves overcommitted and spread too thin, which limits their effectiveness,” added Sister Lauren Beck, the president of Incarnate Word Academy. “Our faculty coaches will help them achieve precisely what colleges are asking for–integrated experiences that make the most of students’ passions and talents, which ultimately result in deeper understanding and impact. IWA is one of the first high schools in the nation to create this opportunity for our students and are proud to join a select few leading colleges to offer personalized leadership coaching for students.”