Originally posted on the CUNY Peer Leaders website.
The Spring 2026 CUNY Peer Leaders (CPL) had their cohort kick-off meeting on Friday, February 13th, at the CUNY Graduate Center. Focused on the theme of “Togetherness and Building Community,” the event was designed to lay the groundwork for a semester of growth, collaboration, and mentorship for the student leaders representing 14 colleges across CUNY.
The day began with messages from CPL Director Lauren Melendez, as well as Futures Initiative Executive Director Adashima Oyo, and Faculty Chair Shelly Eversley. Director Melendez set the stage by welcoming the cohort and outlining the hybrid structure of the program, emphasizing the importance of engagement and explaining that the program aimed to foster a sense of community and create a safe, supportive space for learning and enrichment. The student leaders also introduced themselves, sharing their names, colleges, and academic majors, and describing the artifacts they brought to represent themselves. Guest Facilitator Kashema Hutchinson, Adjunct Lecturer at LaGuardia Community College, shared from her experience as a former CPL Director and FI doctoral fellow, highlighting the culture of care and support at the Futures Initiative and CPL.
Director Melendez led a dynamic discussion on conventional and unconventional leadership. She shared stories about CPL alumni as examples of conventional and unconventional leaders, showing that leadership can come in many different forms, from different backgrounds, and take different paths. The student leaders were then asked to reflect on their own leadership styles and think about what skills or knowledge they hope to improve through participation in the program. Leaders shared responses that ranged from an unconventional leader who prefers to lead from the background but aspires to have greater confidence, to a first-generation community college student passionate about advocating for equity in higher education. Another leader, an international student who is using leadership to help them navigate challenging life circumstances, also expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to participate in the CPL program.
The afternoon session, Envisioning Leadership, was led by Dr. Hutchinson and began with an exploration of leadership theory, contrasting transactional leaders focused on positive reinforcement with transformational leaders who prioritize growth and empowerment. The discussion also introduced the concepts of intersectionality, collective decision-making, and non-hierarchical leadership, using the Combahee River Collective as a powerful example. This deep dive led into a vision board workshop, exploring the power of visualizing one’s intentions and goals. Students created and shared their vision boards, which served as a powerful source of inspiration for one another.
The CPL kick-off concluded with closing remarks from Director Melendez, who encouraged the student leaders to celebrate themselves and each other for every small achievement, and to value the memories they create together, as these serve as building blocks for future success. For their first official task, the new CPLs will be transforming their vision boards into blog posts: “What type of leader do you aspire to be?” Look out for these posts soon on the CPL Blog.
