Broadening Your Horizons

In addition to similar views on philosophical construct of “leadership,” each man brought his own experiences to the table. “In high school, I was a swimmer,” Fredricks says. “I wanted to be team captain. But senior year, I wasn’t selected. But I turned it around. I figured that if I’m not captain, I’m still going to be as supportive as possible for my teammates. At the end of the year, I was lucky enough to win the best-teammate award. I did it for the team.”

“I read Colin Powell’s book My American Journey and found it inspirational,” Knapp says. “That’s part of the reason why I’m deciding to join the Army as an officer after graduation. To enjoy the rights and freedoms we have, there is a certain sacrifice you have to make. I’m willing to make that commitment.”

It’s obvious that these men are doing more than going through the motions. They followed their hearts in the past — and will continue to do so in the future — and are doing what they know to be right and worthy of sacrifice. If those are the types of ideas that our brothers take from Leadership School, then all the hardship and invested time has paid more than just dividends. The ideas changed their character and brought out those traits which may have remained dormant forever. For example, Belmonte, the colony leader, adapted himself to life in a new country. “My dad and older brother are role models for leadership,” he says. “My father owned a bank in Bolivia, where I grew up. I would watch how he interacted with others and the example he set. I see those same traits in myself and my older brother.”

Knapp is joining the Army after graduation. Fredricks learned that truly winning is about a team, not an individual, effort. Laux, after training for a year as a pastry chef after his undergraduate days, decided that making desserts wasn’t the business for him. “I’ve been in leadership roles I wasn’t ready for, but I made them work,” he says. “In my previous career as a chef, I was put into a position like that. The innate took over and helped me to succeed.” And now, after going through the difficulties of leaving one industry for a new one — he’s now a financial planner — he has the ability to share his experiences. “If you tell the guys in your small group a story like that,” he says, “they can see themselves in that picture. It’s something they can see for themselves.”

For Wiglesworth, the man who has seen hordes of undergraduates come and go, who has heard hundreds of stories about loss and success, who continues to give back to the organization that gave him so much, the payoff is a simple one. “The guys are all in their individual chapters during the year,” he says, “but when they go to national events, their eyes brighten. That guy sitting next to them is from another state, he’s different culturally, but they understand each other. The light bulb suddenly turns on, and they realize, ‘It’s bigger than my chapter.’ That’s refreshing.”

The 74th John O. Moseley Leadership School of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, a cruise from the port of San Diego, could have been nothing more than a pleasurable vacation. For the 528 Fraternity men who attended, however, it was a place to test their limits, to push the boundaries of leadership and to even learn something about themselves and their fellow brothers.

“Sometimes it’s tough at Leadership School,” Laux says, “because the guys want to go out and have a good time. But there’s something we’re trying to accomplish.” But what is that something that needs to be done? The national president has the answer: “All I’m doing is finding a replacement for me as Eminent Supreme Archon,” Wiglesworth says. “I need to inspire someone to do it. I try to express that feeling to them, and I let them know they can accomplish anything.”

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