By Dyllan Brown-Bramble, Rutgers University – Newark
Before I participated in the Braven Accelerator, I was not a big presence on campus nor around Newark. I would go to class and then leave immediately after without bothering to get involved with anything that went on around me. However, for me, the Braven experience was transformational. After going through the first two sessions of the Aspen Young Leaders Fellowship this summer, I feel more capable and empowered than ever to involve myself in experiences that are both meaningful and developmental.
One week, in the Braven opportunity newsletter, I saw that The Aspen Institute was creating a fellowship program called The Aspen Young Leaders Fellowship and they were coming to Newark. The Aspen Institute is a think-tank organization with the mission of “fostering enlightened leadership, the appreciation of timeless ideas and values, and open-minded dialogue on contemporary issues.” The Young Leaders Fellowship seeks to educate and empower young people to get involved with and work to solve issues that face their area.
I was a bit skeptical at first and wasn’t sure if this was an opportunity for me, but Sheila, the former Executive Director of Braven-Newark, told me that Braven’s CEO, Aimée Eubanks Davis, was a fellow with The Aspen Institute and I changed my mind. I realized that I had experienced first-hand the kind of impact that this type of fellowship can create through Aimée’s leadership creating Braven. I needed to be involved with an organization that supports and develops leaders like Aimée, so I applied. After going through the application and interview process, I was happy to receive word that I was accepted.
I was so excited to see how the Aspen Young Leaders Fellowship could further my own leadership development. A couple of weeks before the first seminar, I received my reading list. I was (in all honesty) not terribly excited to have more reading to do on top of all of my school work, but as Harry Truman said, “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers,” so I started reading.
The readings were from different genres and perspectives, but each centered around notable leaders, the kind of people they were, and the impact they had and continue to have on us all. Some of the individuals in the readings I admired and respected—others not so much. However, through the reading, I began to formulate in my head a prototype of what kind of leader I want to be.
A few weeks later, it was time for the first three-day session to begin. I was pretty nervous and unsure of what to expect. It was an intense and rewarding experience, to say the least. I was excited to meet the team and the nineteen smart, young, and emerging leaders who would be part of my cohort for the next two years. There were a few familiar faces and others were Rutgers students that I had only ever seen passing on campus. There were even two students that I had met while #payingitforward with the #bravennation. But for the most part, we were strangers.
I am not one to be intimidated by others, and initially, I wasn’t. But when we discussed the readings and had conversations about the texts, the facilitators asked such challenging and thought-provoking questions, and others gave such insightful answers that I quickly became intimidated. The experience was jarring, but strangely, I loved it. I didn’t take being in a room with such intelligent people as a deterrent. I saw it as a challenge. I realized that I could be focused, driven, and deliberate both inside and outside of my cohort. I decided during the three-day session that I would push myself and make sure I always put my best foot forward.
That lesson is not the only thing I gained during that three-day session. I gained an invaluable network made up of fellows and all of those who supported us during the process. I learned very quickly that this is a network of people who are driven and destined for great things. They firmly believe in me, support me, and want the best for me (much like Braven).
I am looking forward to our social venture projects where we are going to design and implement projects aimed to make Newark a better place. Being in Newark, attending Rutgers, and participating in Braven have opened up many opportunities for me. I am so excited that the Aspen Young Leaders Fellowship is providing me with the opportunity to give back.
For me, Braven was the starting point on my journey as a leader. It taught me the skills I needed, helped me to see my potential as a leader, and helped me take the first steps. However, my journey as a leader has just begun, and I still have many more lives and places to impact along this path.
If I had one piece of advice for students like me, it would be to always to keep growing, developing, and moving forward. No matter what career you want, how old you are, who you are, where you’re from, or what you want in life—always make sure to seize the opportunities to flourish and to give back. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the Aspen Young Leaders Fellowship.