When Dan Jaskot ’98 of Empower Leadership comes to Xavier for the yearly Fall Freshman Leadership Day program, he tells the students it’s their choice. You will take out of the day what you put into the day. Listen, participate, do your best, and you’ll take something away from this.
It’s a day to meet many of your classmates for the first time, start building bonds that just might last years down the road. It’s a day of opportunity and fun wrapped into an educational and leadership experience outside the normal classroom.
Seniors from Xavier’s Empower Leadership Club help the freshman on this day. It wasn’t that long ago they were in their shoes.
“I remember being the new freshman, the little guy in the pond, and meeting people and being helped by the seniors,” Donnie Frost ’21 said on Friday. “The more connections you have, the more fun you’ll have. We’re definitely a family here, and you need to know all aspects of your family.”
Beyond being in the Empower Leadership Club, Frost is involved in many things at the school, including the Peer Ministry team, the National Honor Society, the Student Activities Council, and the swimming team.
“A lot of these events have given me so much so I just want to return that and hope the freshmen use this to have great Xavier careers,” said senior Luke Lappe of the day’s events.
His advice to freshmen?
“The school can give you so much if you put the time and effort into it, so don’t waste a second,” Lappe said.
Hayden Tomlin, another senior leader from the Empower Leadership Club, knows full well how fast the time goes.
“It’s crazy; I remember my freshman year and thinking senior year was so far away, and all of a sudden it’s here,” Tomlin said. “Being out here seems like yesterday to me.”
Part of the program this year also included presentations in the dining hall by Director of Guidance Joan Tomasiello and Director of Campus Ministry Peter Lyons. Those are two areas at Xavier that offer a lot of resources and opportunities as well.