Thomas Kaisen

I have the honor of being part of the MadE Leadership Program at JMU along with 20 other engineering students. As a group, we taught each other about different types of leadership and their importance in the field of engineering. Outside class, we attend science, engineering, and academic functions where we demonstrate and present our projects and course work and the work of the engineering community.

The leaders are split into groups of two and co-facilitate a group of first year engineering students. We assist them through the design sequence allowing them to develop sustainable solutions for local and global issues. Outside these groups, there is a separate group of about 15 first year engineering students that are part of a Residential Learning Community (RLC) where they can learn and grow together. They are tasked with creating a video game for second graders. 4 leaders and myself volunteer and meet with the RLC students each week and provide feedback for their project.