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Because I consider myself “Leadership’s Biggest Fan,” I was truly excited when the class of 2007 elected me to speak at our graduation ceremony on June 29. As I collected my thoughts and put them in order, I was excited to be graduating and sad that our official time together was coming to an end. We met each other in October expecting to learn about Auburn and what makes it tick. What we didn’t expect was the friendships we’d make along the way. We expected classmates, and we found friends.
As our friendships were strengthened, our resolve to complete our
project intensified. From the start we agreed, unanimously, that we
would finish a real project and now, after one final hastily scheduled
work party, we can say that we have achieved that goal. We are the
first Leadership class to have done so.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with our project, here’s a brief
overview. There is a parcel of land at the corner of High Street and
Auburn Folsom Road. It’s owned by the city and for many years it
remained vacant. In preparation for the local Sesquicentennial
Celebration, Glenn and Ruby Payne arranged for the ore cart display
that remains a part of the current landscape design. As a class we were
given the choice to complete one of three studies for the city, or get
our hands dirty, both figuratively and really dirty, and add to the
aesthetics on the corner. We chose the Gateway Landscape project, and
soon found that it wasn’t as simple as digging a few holes and putting
in some plants. We arranged plans for the site, installed a watering
system, secured a water hook up through PCWA, physically did all of the
planting ourselves, and even arranged twice-a-day manual watering
shifts. As we did all of this work, we also hosted a Leadership Auburn
Alumni Reunion as a fundraiser to cover any expenses we might incur,
the first official reunion in the history of the program.
From the unanimous vote that started us on the path to project
completion, I have been struck by some realizations: 26 people with 26
different ideas learned to listen to the other 25 to determine what was
best for the team.
Every time that any of our class members requested assistance with any
part of the project or fundraiser, at least 10 volunteers immediately
stepped up, and even more amazing, followed through. Finally, no one
person ran the group for the entire time.
Individuals would come to the front to lead, then drop back as the
skill set shifted, allowing another to take the lead position.
We started as 26 individuals who wanted to learn more about the
wonderful community that is Auburn, and we concluded as ONE team.
Now some may say, “What’s the big deal? So you landscaped a corner,”
and I’ll admit, we didn’t solve world hunger or negotiate world peace,
but each of us was able to be an essential part of a great team.We
experienced struggles and victories together. We set aside our own
preferences for the good of the team, and after all, if 26 hard-headed
future leaders from Auburn could do that, maybe the rest of the world
isn’t so far behind.
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Peggy Seitzinger is the elected spokesperson for the Leadership Auburn
Class of 2007. She delivered a speech on behalf of the class at the
graduation and will be speaking to local service clubs about the
program. She is the merchandise manager for Roper’s Jewelers.
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