“One of the most important things I’ve done in my life,” is how 2017 Multicultural Leadership Program graduate Jocelyn “Joy” Winnell describes the experience.
Joy came to MCLP expecting to gain career skills, which she did, but so gained much more. “I didn’t realize how much knowledge I would gain of nonprofits. I not only got to know myself better, but I got to know the community. I didn’t realize the opportunities to help others and how important that would be.”
Joy works at the BN Realty Group at Remax Rising, where she is Director of Operations.
As part of her community project with MCLP, Joy worked with Labyrinth House, a McLean County YWCA program that helps formerly incarcerated women return to society. Her group helped develop a business plan, so that Labyrinth participants could gain employment. Her entire team stays involved with the project, helping fine tune that business plan. She is now a regular volunteer with Big Brothers/Big Sisters. She has also volunteered as an intern with the Youth Global Citizen (YGC) “For A Better Tomorrow” project, where she served as a mentor. She was solicited to this role by another MCLP classmate.
Thanks to MCLP, Joy said that she “became more involved in the community, more aware of different organizations. Meeting the people at these various groups influenced me to get more involved.” She also reports that she regularly signs up for any leadership opportunity that comes her way.
The “Leadership 360” at MCLP also helped Joy identify her own strengths and weaknesses, which has boosted her self-awareness. “Leadership 360 made me aware of some of the things I do. With knowing myself more, I became more and more aware and can concentrate on how others perceive me. I’m trying to be more intentional about how I act, seeing what I can do to strengthen my leadership skills and not falling back into old habits.”
MCLP is an experience she would highly recommend. She encourages those considering to attend programs and orientations. “If I could distinguish a mark in my life it would be the year with MCLP. It was a very important year that was a huge experience. The people you meet you will know for the rest of your life. It is one of the most important things I have ever done.”
By Mike Matejka, MCLP Marketing Team
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