James Caprio '24, Jalane Tsague '25, Sally Boutaleb '24 and Genevieve Ryan '26 outside of Arnold Hall at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Co.
Students attend national character and leadership symposium
James Caprio '24, Jalane Tsague '25, Sally Boutaleb '24 and Genevieve Ryan '26 represented Augustana at the 31st annual National Character and Leadership Symposium (NCLS) at the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA).
NCLS is an annual two-day symposium in which participants hear distinguished scholars, military leaders, corporate executives and world-class athletes share their inspirational stories of character and leadership. Augustana sends four students to attend the event each year.
“The diverse perspectives shared reinforced the importance of embracing cultural diversity in leadership."
Tsague, a business administration–management major from Cameroon, met and talked with several of the accomplished speakers. “NCLS was one of the highlights of my Augie experience,” she said.
Augustana’s Rogers Entrepreneurship Endowment Fund paid the trip expenses for all four students.
The symposium’s theme was “Valuing Human Conditions, Cultures and Societies.” USAFA cadets, ROTC cadets, servicepeople, civilian students and other participants discussed the importance of leaders embracing culture and empowering people. Through lectures, panels and workshops, participants explored how to live honorably and build effective teams by bringing together differing experiences, viewpoints and strengths.
Featured speakers included Olympic gold medalist swimmer Missy Franklin, NASA astronaut Dr. Kjell N. Lindgren, author and activist Bryan Stevenson, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, senior military leaders and others.
Back at Augustana, the students hope to apply the knowledge and skills they learned at the conference to their roles both on campus and beyond.
“The diverse perspectives shared reinforced the importance of embracing cultural diversity in leadership,” said Boutaleb, an accounting, business administration–finance and data analytics–business analytics triple major from Morocco. “I'm eager to apply these lessons to my own journey, knowing that the connections made and experiences shared will shape my approach to leadership for years to come."
Written by Genevieve Ryan '26