An update on LTI

Hey everyone!

Recently, the LTI community has gone through some amazing changes to help start this year off incredibly strong. For starters the fall recruitment process recently ended, and as a result we were able to add some outstanding individuals to our executive board, mentors, and associate mentors. Additionally, last week LTI had its annual retreat at Cap Cod. In addition to serving as a way for new members to get better aquatinted with older members and form stronger bonds within the LTI community, this retreat also served as a great way for all of our members to get together and brainstorm new ideas for making this year's LTI the best year so far. Some of the ideas mentioned included different ways to: raise funds, recruit new students, and increase LTI's presence both here at MIT and on other campuses.

While LTI is currently in the phase of recruiting students by mailing out applications and brochures to prospective high school students, the mentors have decided to use this down time as a chance to get ready for the new LTI curriculum and to train new mentors. Every Sunday, mentors will be spending the afternoon developing different activities and themes that will help make LTI an even stronger program. Just like President Obama's confidence in the hard work of the American people to overcome this nation’s many obstacles, I too am confident in the efforts of the LTI community to achieve its goal of making this year the best year ever for LTI.

Your Public Relations Chair,

Walter Anazonwu

Team Work

Last Tuesday as I sat in on an info session for becoming a volunteer at MGH, I was reminded of the importance of teamwork. In the presentation, the speaker went over the requirements needed to become a volunteer, historical facts about MGH, and different positions offered. However, what really caught my attention was when the speaker began telling us how each position demanded that its volunteers become "team players." The way that the speaker put it, in order to give the best health care possible, MGH demands that its entire staff (doctors, nurses, administrators, and volunteers) be willing to give their best effort and work together.

Later that day, I was reminded again of that lesson when I was playing a game of taboo with a group of friends. While there were definitely people on each team that were "the best", none of that mattered, because in the end it was the team with the most points that won, not the most talented individual. After that game I realized that in life it is this principle of team work that matters the most. Often times we focus on becoming the best individuals, but in reality we also need to focus on becoming better team players. Like MGH, most businesses, corporations, and companies consider the element of teamwork to be just as important a factor to success as hiring talented employees.

After that day, I began to appreciate all of the team building exercises that our students do at LTI. Now I started to see how in addition to teaching these students specific aspects of leadership and communication, these exercises also show our students how to work with a diverse group of people, be efficient, and successfully complete a common goal with other people. So while it is LTI's goal that its students will stand out in their communities, I am glad that our goal is also to also have these students become apart of their community as well.

Your Public Relations Chair,

Walter Anazonwu

Progress Report

Recently, the expansion committee has announced that the LTI curriculum is currently being translated into Spanish (in preparation for the intensive two-week trip to Brazil in January 2010), and a new chapter of the LTI program will soon be established at UMASS Amherst. While it may be surpassing that in its third year the LTI program has managed to spread into other college campuses and high schools in different countries, these results aren't that surprising to me because I realize how unique the LTI program is. While LTI isn't the oldest mentoring program at MIT, LTI is the first program to focus on helping already successful high school students become better leaders by providing these students with the tools that they will need to make an immediate impact in their communities. Additionally, another factor that makes LTI so unique is the dedication found within its staff. It is this focus and dedication from every member of the LTI community that has created an environment that has not only inspired our students to make a difference, but has also inspired other campus and high schools to start an LTI program of their own.

Your Public Relations Chair,

Walter Anazonwu

The People That Change Our Lives

As LTI is in the middle of its selection process for mentors of the Spring LTI session, I have started thinking about how valuable mentors are in our lives. After analyzing the lives of many successful people (including many movie stars, politicians, businessmen, writers, and doctors) I have realized that in one way or anther, each of these individuals has had somebody in their lives there to help them out. Essentially, all of these people have had a mentor.

The dictionary defines a mentor as somebody who is very experienced and helps train other people. Based on this definition, I believe that is exactly what the mentors of LTI are doing. Basically, every week our mentors provide guidance to their students. While it is true that our mentors aren't necessarily teaching our students how to become lawyers, doctors, or politicians, they are providing them with the support and the skills that they need to become successful. As a result, I feel that the mentors of LTI provide an invaluable service to their students. By teaching these students confidence, communication skills, and different aspects of leadership, our mentors have supplied these kids with the tools that they will need to go out into the world and achieve their dreams.

Your Public Relations Chair,

Walter Anazonwu