Leadershape was a six-day retreat centered around leadership and awareness of the power of connection. We learned about what leadership means in different contexts, how to build community, and how power and influence interact when in a leadership position. What surprised me was how much we also talked about things like personal values and emotional intelligence, where being more in tune with yourself can have incredibly positive effects on how you lead others. In light of this, I learned a lot about myself in this environment of consolidated learning and experience. I came into this experience feeling as though I did not stand for anything or dedicate time to causes outside of my own life; however, the process of exploring our priorities and passions helped me recognize what I care about in the world and the actions that align with this even if those do not include attending rallies or donating money. I was also able to better understand how being a follower is more necessary than being an outright leader in all situations and that there is even some leading taking place while following. Everyone was assigned to a "cluster family" of about fifteen people upon arriving at Leadershape and daily activities and debriefing with them fostered the development of tight bonds. Our last night as a cluster was spent giving individual feedback to everyone about positive things we observed over the course of the week as well as what we could be doing better. A number of people said that I made sure to give a voice to those in the group who were quieter, which I was not actively aware of, and that I should let my own voice be heard more often. These consistent and constructive evaluations significantly improved my confidence and I look forward to seeing them translate into how I lead in the future.