Leadership Curriculum

Courses in character and leadership define the behaviors that we all want to embody as the best version of ourselves.  

Our leadership teachers are passionate about growing IWA’s unique leadership culture, and they actively encourage our students to define their character and develop their leadership skills.  We accomplish this in part through an innovative curriculum focused on character and leadership development, critical life skills, project management, and applications in business and personal finance.   All courses are adapted from materials created by national thought leaders, leadership programs, and universities.

Leadership Courses at IWA

Very few schools are completely dedicated to empowering young women, even those who feel like they are not “leader material.”  I can say from experience that being a part of YLP has encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone in ways I hadn’t imagined

Recent Class Projects

The Bubble House, Leading with Business

The Bubble House, a pop-up launched by Leading with Business classes in Spring 2023, opened to long lines of eager customers and sparkling reviews. The boba tea and spring rolls business was created, marketed, and executed by IWA students. Teammates divvied up the work in shifts to direct the marketing, finance, supply chain, food service, and HR strategies. All profits from this after-school pop-up were donated to the Houston Area Women’s Center. 

 

Shake It Up, Leading with Business

Long lines=success! Shake It Up, the Leading in Business after-school pop-up in October 2022, was a big hit. Students sold 384 shakes, 340 fries, and 229 orders of Flappy's Secret Sauces (recipe created by students). Shake It Up exceeded $2,800 in sales. All profits were donated to the Children's Leukemia Research Fund.

Leading with Service students put on a Christmas Miracle for St. Pius V.
A Christmas Miracle, Leading with Service

“A Christmas Miracle” took on the task of fundraising, planning, and executing a special Christmas party for a special group of students from St. Pius V Catholic School (a Cardinal’s Circle school). When they arrived, the kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade students' faces lit up with wonder as they saw a room full of Christmas activities, Santa Claus, and even a snow-making machine in the courtyard!

Leading with Service students pose at their service site, Summerhouse.

Making Lives Better, Leading with Service

"In our service project, we visited SummerHouse, which is an organization that supports young adults with intellectual disabilities. Our team visited them weekly to help build an environment of friendship and community. By hosting a cast party after SummerHouse's talent show we were able to celebrate their individual talents."

Students in Leading with Service hosted a confidence camp for middle school girls.
Vive le Vogue, Leading with Service

For our project, we wanted to focus on the dignity of human life. More specifically, we focused on educating middle school girls on confidence and its positive benefits. It breaks our hearts to see middle school girls lacking the confidence they need to succeed in life. We also have our own experiences from middle school and we want to create positive experiences for our current middle schoolers.

Our vision was to inspire confidence in middle school girls, encourage creativity with limited resources, and teach real-world tips that lead to success.

The Young Leaders Program empowers young women to lead and serve.

Crawford Coffee Company, Leading with Business

The Crawford Coffee Company sold 381 hot chocolates, 51 peppermint hot chocolates, 130 coffees, 160 salted caramel coffees, 85 double chocolate coffees, and 63 teas. After 15 days of sales, 111 cans of whipped cream, lots of last-minute runs to the store, and bags and bags (and bags!) of Dunkin' Donuts coffee grinds, the students proudly closed their doors with $1400 in the bank - exceeding their predictions by $400.  The beneficiaries of their hard work were the nineteen Pre-K students at the newly established San Francisco Nativity Academy.  The Crawford Coffee Company turned out to be more than a business; it was 24 students thinking, laughing, encouraging and working together to support others.  Principal Matt Garcia-Prats was blown away by the achievement: "We are incredibly appreciative and humbled by the hard work and generosity of these amazing young ladies!"  

Students in Leading with Service visited senior citizens at St. Dominic's Village.
Ole Fur Buds, Leading with Service

We wanted to bring joy to senior citizens in the holiday season. We went to St. Dominic's, a senior care facility, and spent quality time with the residents by playing games and sharing stories. We have noticed that senior citizens feel overlooked in our community, and we are hoping to address this problem by hosting a Christmas party to spread holiday cheer through companionship during this special time of the year.

Students in Leading with Service prepare baskets for their service project.
A Baby's Dream, Leading with Service

Our project was established in 2018 as a means to help low-income pregnant women in the local Houston area. We raised enough money through a bake sale to purchase baskets and items to gift the mothers at Catholic Charities.  We hope we showed them our loving support in their journey of becoming a mother. On the day of our project, we played bingo and "Headbanz" with these mothers, and at the very end, we gifted them with baskets that included items such as diapers, bottles, and pacifiers.