“One of the greatest lessons I learned from PLP was about change - the idea of observing the current situation, the status quo, and then taking it to the next level, the idea of empowering and inspiring people by saying ‘we can do better’ and doing that.”
-Mehdi Mehrpartou, PLP Alumnus

“The experiences I had in PLP truly changed the course of my life at a very deep level, reshaping my aspirations for what personal success looks like. Now, I know one of my top priorities to achieve success in life will include creating positive change in the worlds I live in presently, and in the future. As I continue my education—and as I begin a career in public policy making in the near future—I know the lessons I garnered from PLP will resonate in my daily experiences. PLP truly impacted not just how I lead on a day-to-day basis, but how I live my life every day.” – Jake Blumberg, PLP Alumnus

“Although I had often been told by others who knew me closely that I had leadership potential, before I enrolled in PLP I had no true idea of what leadership pertained to. This course has not only taught me the importance of serving others while I lead, but also has helped me realize how crucial it is to know one’s own limits, values, and personal leadership philosophy before one hopes to ever be an inspiration to others.” –Katherine Vela, Current PLP Student

 

By Ian Krammer

As a leader, a PLPer,
A truth-seeker, tongue-in-cheeker,
Number, reader, writer, thinker
And be-er,A me-er,
in this modern techno-2008
that doesn’t ever hesitate
as I masticate messily these absurd words,
A few things have I learned from start of semester,
That have stewed and bubbled, boiled and festered.

Begin within PLP a killer retreat to
Bond with my fabulous new
Classmates, and come to find out:
Everyone knows what it’s all about,
And yet we don’t at all.
I don’t at all,
In fact, put my ego aside and open my heart,
It’s time to step out of my body to chart
These new lands of self-discovery
Where the water is purple, and the lions tamer
As I wander and ponder: who’s Ian Krammer?
So I cracked the texts,
And my being flexed.

College as a journey in which we’re all a part.
I’m not perfect, and that’s a fact,
but in order to make a healthy impact,
first, determine definitions of overlapping vocab
What are values?
What are morals?
What is a leader?
Do I have any? Am I one of those?

I’m driven as a LEADER by the love
I see as I look outside,
Across the World, billions of head spin
With opinions for the millions
On the other side of the globe;
Across the US Obama-Biden-ridden,
Trends uniting and politics dividing,
Across this Colorado State, square place
Of shapeless endless opportunities,
But mostly across One university,
And in all of these places I see leaders
Robust and mellow
Outspoken and subtle
Gargantuan and petite
Smart and fashionable
Opinionated and contributing
Widespread and factioned,
Service-leaders with good intentions
Helping with their interventions.
And in all of these places I see love.

I’m driven as a PERSON by the love
I see as I view all of you,
Wormy and tired and consumed,
Freshsophjunior mish-mash
Once a week, for three hours, crossed are our paths.
Once, strangers that were just unknown friends
Everyone waiting for the relationships to begin.
Then, acquaintances who I knew by name
And week by week, day by day
We played this silly social game
So our bond could grow and mature and change

So engrained within the very sutures
Of my skull, lies my future:
A servant-leader hungry to know and help,
Patching together a democratic quilt
With my clearly identified leadership philosophy:
It’s love, written in my magnetoencephalography,
And throughout my existence, I’ll water it good
So it blooms like a sunflower as it should,
And one day I’ll as a leader emerge,
In whatever capacity I have the urge.
But until then I’m content to be
Getting touchy-feely in PLP
And learning my limits in learning others’
Surrounding myself with sisters and brothers.
And as it is probably said all too much,
I’ll say it again because it is such
A true, simple, witty bit
As much as we all hate to admit:
Live it,
And love it.