Many of you can relate to having parents who kept virtually everything from your childhood. Every time I visit, I leave with a random box of school projects, papers, photos, and memorabilia. But the other day brought a special walk down memory lane when my mom sent me a picture of a drawing I made in kindergarten in 2000, just before President George W. Bush became the 43rd president of the United States.
Seeing my kindergarten artwork today made me smile, and this find reminded me of how I looked up to President Bush as a young boy growing up in Texas. I admired the way he treated others with compassion. The way he stood by his family and his faith. The way he embraced humor. While I was too young to recognize it at the time, I respected President Bush because he was a leader of character.
Leaders of character can be found all around us – and they are crucial role models throughout our lives, but particularly in our early, developmental years. They set an example for how we should treat each other as fellow humans, how we should contribute to something greater than ourselves, and, ultimately, how we should grow up to be leaders of character ourselves – ones who stay true to our values and contribute to a better tomorrow for future generations.
Growing up, I was fortunate to have many leaders of character to look up to. My parents were certainly the most influential for me, and they continue to be to this day. But there were also transformative teachers, church youth group leaders, and coaches. It would be impossible for me to list everyone who had an impact on my early life, but I’m confident I am who I am today because of the people who led by example when I was growing up.
Today, I have the privilege of being part of the George W. Bush Institute team, where our work is a direct extension of President and Mrs. Bush’s values. And as part of my role, I have the immense privilege of working with a group of leaders of character, the more than 1,000 alumni of our leadership programs, which include the Presidential Leadership Scholars (PLS) program and the Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program (VLP).
One thing that strikes me most about these leaders is the passion they bring to their work and the compassion they have for each other. The work is never about them personally, but, rather, about the people they serve.
Our alumni are driving a variety of positive change for others in their communities. For example, Arellana Barela Levenson from the PLS Class of 2026, recently created and launched a digital app, called Cultivar Communities, that equips parents and their children with the knowledge and education to build financial wealth and stability for their families for generations to come.
Within the veteran and military family community, Damian Cook from the VLP Class of 2025 is utilizing his role at K9s for Warriors to develop two national initiatives that will produce research around the effectiveness of support service animals provide to individuals with Post-Traumatic Stress, and he hopes these initiatives will lead to policy and practice change that will expand programs connecting service animals not only to veterans, but also to first responders and those in law enforcement.
Leaders of character like our program alumni exemplify the best of humanity. They are admirable example we should all strive to emulate, and because of them, I am confident our country and world will be a better tomorrow for generations to come.
You don’t have to be the president of the United States or work at the highest levels of an organization to be a leader of character who leads by example. In fact, it should be an obligation for all of us to be that kind of person, and it is worth reflecting on those who do it well and how we each show up for others.
Younger generations need all of us to show up as leaders of character, and I believe many of us want to be those examples for them. I certainly do for my nephews and niece. They’re looking to us to be servant leaders in this way, and, together, we can ensure that they grow up to understand the importance this plays in shaping a stronger world for generations to come.
