The powerful youth: Learning lessons from youth leadership

By Lis Colmenares

“PAO! PAO! PAO!” We chant in unison the name of our organization.

The Philippine-American Organization (PAO) at the City College of New York is one of many student-led Filipino collegiate organizations associated with the Filipino Intercollegiate Networking Dialogue, Incorporated (FIND, Inc.).

Our cultural exchange charity fundraiser for The PCRF with CCNY student leaders

Student-led organizations have always been the heart of any college campus - from cultural showcases and workshops to social mixers and frat parties. In the center of every student body are its student leaders, who take the responsibility of pouring mind, body, and soul into building community.

I’m approaching the end of my third year as well as my term as the president of PAO. As I look forward to stepping down and passing the torch, I use this opportunity as a time to reflect.

One of the many things I learned as a student leader is how organizations such as PAO are often a first step for many young adults navigating life. Conversations about blood-stained history or international politics are uncomfortable and scary for college students. Rather than asking ourselves why the way the world works this way, we pour more energy into superficial relationships and a path to social fame.

When I first stepped into the role of president, my biggest goal was to change how we function and mobilize to grow the community. I wanted to become the change or at least start a new pattern of behavior.

After six semesters of emotional labor and countless emails, I found some steps to becoming a good student leader.

First step: Become comfortable conversing with people you may not like.

In our generation, this may seem futile. We like to protect our mental health which can create avoidant tendencies. But when it boils down to change, remember that your people include everyone you have nothing in common with.

So, PAO was no longer a space for only friends, but also a space for those with a desire to do better, a common goal. We welcomed members whose ways of life were different from our own. Our community was no longer built on superficial friendships, slowly shunning those who did not speak to its most popular crowd.

We were teaching, learning, and growing together as a collective. PAO is now the biggest it has been since I joined in 2022.

First PAO General Body Meeting in the fall of 2024

Second step: Take a moment to define what community means to you.

When we talk about community, how do we define it and understand it? Is it as simple as occupying the same spaces or building a relationship with one another? Are you embracing chaos or dismissing any room for conflict? This is a very complex notion, no matter how simple it might be in words.

For PAO, the community was defined by the mutual desire to see each other excel. We made mistakes, we talked about them and preserved them, and we continue to push each other to be better.

Even the most rigid Filipino moral perfectionists are chismosa (gossiper) and Filipino collegiate student organizations are known for playing a game of telephone with gossip. It is important to remember that the perceptions of our leadership are not truthful from external views. Rather, only your community can fully understand your decision-making and hold you accountable.

PAO’s Giving at Tito Rad’s restaurant on November 22, 2024

Third and last step: Establish a support system separate from your home space.

Student organizations like PAO are the perfect space to establish new relationships, whether lifelong bonds or just kind acquaintances. However, no matter how hard one may try, there will always be a residue of a cliquey high school hierarchy within student organizations.

If you want to succeed, being co-dependent with the leaders you collaborate with is often not a good mix. You need to have other existing relationships you can rely on. Set some boundaries!

It may be so appealing to band all your friends together in one space to see how popular you are. But, not all your friends have to be friendly with each other.

Several support systems are important to have diverse perspectives about your decision-making and how to provide practical support.

Every academic term there is always one period where drama occurs and makes your entire community spiral from helping folks navigate breakups to different leadership styles, etc.

A support system separate from your home organization is necessary to maintain that sanity, rather than creating sides within the mix.

You do not necessarily have to figure out everything to be a good leader. It will all come down to trust. You just need to trust yourself that your community will pull you back if you dive - head first. Most importantly, you need to trust the process that with every mistake comes a new path for growth. #

About the writer: Lis Colmenares is a graduating student at the City College of New York. She plans to take up Law and envisions to be an immigration lawyer.