FAll 2022 OA

THE WOODS TODAY

“My Woods experience began in July 2021 with a wonderful trip down The Avenue. Accompanied by family, I saw the campus for the first time with a tremendous alumni guide and my own brother-in-law, Devin Blankenship, ’17G. I was new to the school as a member of the inaugural global leadership doctoral class, but I had an instantaneous and sustaining connection as I felt history and viewed sacred places. My path to this moment and the historic program came after a lifetime of rewarding service. I have been fortunate to work for a member of Congress, lead an agency for the State of Indiana and serve as a chief of staff at the Indiana House of Representatives. Currently, I teach global business students as a communication lecturer for Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and serve at large as a representative on the Monroe County Council. The Global Leadership program complements all those experiences and interests and pushes me forward. “I am grateful for the growth, faculty mentoring and opportunities that have come from study abroad experiences that have already taken me to Ireland and Greece.” I have grown immensely beside a cohort of friends and colleagues while researching cross-cultural communication, imposter syndrome and my own personal passion, global leadership storytelling. I am fascinated by the stories that leaders tell and how those stories can create change and connections in the world. Storytelling is also important to me because I collect and read comic books. Early in the pandemic, I used my comic books to read to others stuck at home via Facebook Live. This seemed appropriate given how comic books helped me as a child while struggling to read. I am grateful for the growth, faculty mentoring and opportunities that have come from study abroad experiences that have already taken me to Ireland and Greece. I am all the better for the incredible leadership journey that brought me down The Avenue.”

— Trent Deckard, global leadership doctoral student visiting the Thessaloniki Walls in Greece.

Trent