To: American River Current
From: Omba Kipuke, Student Trustee Alumni
April 14, 2016
Student leadership is a rewarding and challenging process which takes a special person to venture. Humility plays a key role in representing not only our commonalities but also our differences, while trying to remain as objective as possible throughout leadership tenures.
Immediately after my exit speech as the district’s former Student Trustee, I began to sit back and watch how my successor (Cameron Weaver) would fair in taking over the position and leading the students of Los Rios — I am absolutely proud of his work. Through the various challenges he’s faced and the oppositions he’s been acquainted to, I have watched him bear true to the spirit of service leadership and keep his head up throughout.
Folks, being a leader is not something that comes with a How To Manual. To be a leader is not to call you a leader but to recognize yourself as a servant, the difference being that a servant knows when he is obligated to lead and cannot leave his post regardless of the challenges. It’s unfortunate that our Student Trustee has one more meeting left and I have yet to read one article that simply thanks him for leading our students — not one. The hours and dedication poured into advocacy is often stressful and is even more discouraging when you realize the folks around you don’t care too much about your work — as the numbers have reflected with voter turnout across the district for the past few years.
If Los Rios wants better student leaders across the board, then they have to do a better job in supporting those leaders who step up and stop blindly defending those who persecute them. So just in case Cameron completes his term without a public “thanks” from his colleagues or constituents, I’d like to go on record for saying, from the bottom of my heart Mr. Trustee, thank you for your service and dedication to the students of Los Rios Community College District. I look forward to attending your final district meeting to shake your hand, sir.
Omba Kipuke, LRCCD Student Trustee 2014-15
