The mission of the Dr. Brenda White Wright Emerging Leaders Academy is clear. Identify, encourage and support students as they develop the knowledge and skills necessary to become excellent leaders at ETSU and beyond. 

But there’s more than that. 

“It is always about,” said Dr. Wright, “putting others’ needs before self.”

“It is specifically for those who want to become servants first, and then leaders,” she added.  

An eight-week leadership development program that meets weekly, the academy focuses on a range of critical skills, including leadership style, communication and more.  

Learn more about the program here and consider supporting the program here.  


Video Transcript

Dr. Brenda White Wright


During the orientation before the advance, I taught with the students about what it means to be a leader, what it means to be a servant leader. It is always about putting others' needs before self. It is specifically for those students who want to learn to become servants first and then leaders. 


Kaiden Amo


It is well worth the two hours every week. You go in, a completely different person. It is a life-changing experience for sure. I would not have been as involved. I would not have met as many people, Dr. Brenda White Wright especially. She has been a massive help, lacking mentors especially. I found so much strength and motivation to go through school and find the motivation to be involved on campus through ELA. 


Sadie King


Even though I had been in leadership roles previously, I still had so much to learn from ELA and you have so many different perspectives from different leaders that you will grow even if you are a leader already. And even if you don't consider yourself a leader yet, you will learn those qualities that you do have and how to use those qualities to better yourself as a leader. I think if I didn't do ELA my freshman year, I definitely wouldn't be maybe as good as a leader in the positions that I have been. I've been a polo leader, I've been a homecoming director and SGA senator and I think everything I learned through ELA has helped me better my communication skills like servant leadership really grew and just how I lead others really changed after I did ELA.


Dr. Brenda White Wright


During the advance, I get to share with the students about my personal story and having marched in the Civil Rights Movement in the 60s, having grown up during a time of segregation and Jim Crow laws in this country, I am able to share with them the privileges and the opportunities that they have today that were not afforded me when I was going to school. I am able to share with them that despite any challenge or any obstacle set before us, each of us still has the opportunity to make a difference in this world. I get to share with them about how my generation changed this country in a positive direction and we did it without cell phones, we did it without any computers, we did it without technology. So I challenge them, think about what you can do, what your generation can do, the differences that you can make in the world with all the many resources that you have that were not available to us so I tell them you have no excuse. All it takes is a willing heart and a commitment to make a difference. 

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East Tennessee State University was founded in 1911 with a singular mission: to improve the quality of life for people in the region and beyond. Through its world-class health sciences programs and interprofessional approach to health care education, ETSU is a highly respected leader in rural health research and practices. The university also boasts nationally ranked programs in the arts, technology, computing, and media studies. ETSU serves approximately 14,000 students each year and is ranked among the top 10 percent of colleges in the nation for students graduating with the least amount of debt.

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