Josephine Lyons A Leader on Rensselaer's Campus

2018 Apr 25

Leadership; leader. These are all words that hold different meaning and weight to different people. Is a leader someone who is an expert? Perhaps, it's someone who can wear multiple hats, or instead, delegate to the experts and teammates around them. Is a leader someone who is vocal, or it's a person who is soft spoke doing all of the right things. All of these ideas, roles and thoughts about leadership are answered differently depending on who you ask. Ultimately though, good leadership helps a group reach a common goal, but what is it that makes a great leader?

Josephine Lyons is a sophomore at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) from Harwood (20776). She has seen a great deal of athletic success for the red and white after being named the Female Freshman of Year the Year for the department while being the Liberty League and team Rookie of the Year in goal for the Engineers. The All-ECAC North Rookie of the Year and NSCAA All-Region Third-Team selection in women's soccer is also a two sport athlete on the track and field team who participates in sprint and middle distance events. A mathematics and computer science dual major, Lyons is far more than a successful athlete.

After only two years on campus at RPI, Lyons is the new President of the Undergraduate Council. According to the two-sport athlete, "The Undergraduate President is in charge of the Undergraduate Council which consists of all of the presidents and vice presidents of each class. We plan class events, and try to promote class involvement and unity. The point of the undergraduate council is to make sure there is a consistency of ideas and events going on throughout the years, so that the older classes can inform the younger classes on what's going on. For example, the senior class is in charge of senior week and all those events. The undergraduate council will also vote on all of the budgets for events like that. My role as president is to oversee and run the council."

Lyons' new leadership path began as soon as she stepped on campus, "The RA of the floor below me was in student government," said Lyons. "He is the current President of the Union (PU) and was the Grand Marshall (GM) of the Senate last year. He was telling me all about student government activities, and trying to encourage me to go. He would tell me what they do, what has happened in the past, and I thought, 'That sounds really interesting. I think I could do that." Lyons did just that and became the vice president of her freshman class. She continued her involvement the following year by becoming the Sophomore Class President.

Prior to Rensselaer, Lyons was not involved in student council or government in high school. She has always tried to be a leader, but understands that sometimes, there may be others in the group who are more suited for the role. Lyons is a true team player and looks to fill the role that will best suit her group or team, even if that means sometimes taking a step.

"I think you have to lead to what your strengths are. A good leader doesn't just lead for the sake of leading. You may want to be the leader, but sometimes, there may be someone better for certain situations and groups. Good leaders find the right time and place to lead to help the betterment of the group."

While Lyons led small activities in high school, she believes that she has found her leadership niche in the Undergraduate Council though. The sophomore feels like she fits in with the class councils, and that she can fulfill her role as President of the Undergraduate Council extremely well.

With two sports, two degrees and multiple academic extracurriculars, Lyons wants to stay involved in the undergraduate Council as long as she can, "I don't have any GM or PU aspirations. I don't have enough experience in those branches, and I really don't think that would be fair to my fellow students. I want to actually know what I'm doing if I'm going to be in charge of something. I would like to stay involved in the Undergraduate Council and be president, but the issue is that I'm trying to do co-term is four years so I don't know what my status will be. Ultimately though, I want to stay involved as long as I can."

Lyons believes that her experiences at RPI have made her a better leader and force her to step up. Now when she sees a leadership role that needs to be filled, she thinks, "You know what, I think I have the qualifications to that. I'm going to go and try to fill that role the best I can."

As someone who found true leadership at Rensselaer, Lyons' advises those who are thinking of taking on new leadership roles to seize the opportunity, "If you are on the fence about filling a leadership role, go for it. Have confidence in yourself, and go into the role with the right mindset. It is more rewarding than you would think."

Thanks to her RPI experience, Lyons has a newfound passion and excitement for leadership. Whether it's in student government, the classroom, the pitch, or on the track, she's ready to step up and be everything she can for her team.