By Casey Rodriguez
The holiday season is a time for all of us to come together and celebrate with family and friends. We share in traditions, gather around, tell stories, and reflect on what the year has brought us. During this time, we are also reminded of what makes us unique individuals and how those strengths connect us with others through a shared purpose.
But holidays can be challenging, too, as we’re faced with diverging viewpoints across the dinner table. The Presidential Leadership Scholars (PLS) program offers an excellent model in how to navigate this rocky terrain.
Our Scholars come from across the country, bringing with them diverse experiences and narratives to create a network full of depth and richness. We tie these things together in a unique program in which Scholars are guided by their core values to develop skills in values-based leadership. We’ve seen prominent examples of this leadership in the presidencies of George H.W. Bush, Lyndon B. Johnson, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. Scholars are then encouraged to embrace their identities with these values, and that leads to creating close bonds with people whom they may have never met before.
Our program is truly unlike any other because we bring people together to solve today’s most pressing challenges while at the same time creating bonds that we never could have imagined. Bringing diverse voices together in a room and watching that purpose align with passion is very powerful, and it’s something that we as individuals can commit to doing outside a formal program.
For example, Danielle Rugoff, PLS Class of 2024, embraced her Jewish faith and shared it with her cohort at a Passover dinner she hosted at her house ahead of a module. She shared childhood stories about her family and how their experiences led her to pursue work that focuses on bridging divides through language. By sharing in her home and her faith, Danielle’s cohort gained a truer understanding of who she was. And members of the group formed a lasting bond, becoming part of her family forever.
In 2023, the Hispanic Scholars of the cohort gathered during the final module and shared more about their backgrounds than ever before. One by one, they reflected on many of their parents’ immigrant experiences, some of their journeys as first-generation students, and how these things have shaped them into the leaders they are today. They showed how their lived experiences inspire them to bring their authentic selves to the table each day, have gratitude for who they are and what they have, and seek ways to move forward and impact others with similar stories. Through this gathering, they established a strong sense of solidarity, ensuring this group would always uplift one another and advocate for those who come after them.
Our 537-strong alumni network consists of many stories, faiths, backgrounds, and values, with over 50% of Scholars identifying as non-white with a racial and ethnic background. Together, they help create something bigger than the individual members.
This holiday season, as you reflect on the year and are surrounded by what’s most important to you, we encourage you to embody the PLS program and embrace your unique identity and core values. Create an environment where every voice is heard, and every individual is valued. Lean into understanding and find joy in solidarity. This will allow us all to strengthen the connections we have around the dinner table and the ones we have in our communities, even as we may agree to disagree.
As President George H.W. Bush once said, “in times of celebration and challenge alike, our values of faith, family, and friendship hold us together, and the holiday season is a time to reflect on and reaffirm those bonds.” Related Content
Casey Rodriguez serves as Program Manager, Leadership Programs at the George W. Bush Institute.