Every Columbia College student’s journey toward leadership is unique and builds on their personal experiences and dreams. Read about how the 4Cs of leadership are interpreted by a diverse group of young women, a new generation of leaders who are already making a positive difference.

Heather’s Story

Heather Marie Siegfried was disappointed; Columbia College didn’t recycle. So she did her homework and discovered start-up grants, called the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, met with the appropriate officials, and wrote her 22-page proposal. “I got the full $10,000 to start a program,” says Siegfried. “It was a really big project to take on,” but she did.
           
Siegfried, born in New York in 1986, grew up in Upstate New York, but found herself finishing high school in Hilton Head, where her father worked as an electrician. She had attended ten schools by the time she graduated from high school. At Hilton Head High School, she played volleyball, rowed crew, served as a homeroom representative, and worked at an Old Navy store. Her senior year Siegfried and her mother visited Columbia College. Siegfried says she thought, “‘Oh yeah, like I’d go to an all-girls school.’ But after contemplation I knew I didn’t like big schools; I knew I wanted smaller classes. I was given a brochure that talked about developing yourself and getting to know yourself, being able to speak out, finding your voice. I realized, ‘I think it but don’t have the confidence to do it.’ I knew this was an area I could improve.”
           
As Siegfried, always good at math, wrapped up her high school years, she studied accounting. “It had never crossed my mind. But I really enjoyed helping teachers and my classmates. I thought maybe I had found my niche.” At Columbia College she became an accounting major with a minor in communication. Her long-term goals include being a CEO or CFO of a large corporation by 40 years old – and making her first million dollars by 45 – and being happy, of course, she adds. “Hey, it starts with a dream,” she says. “Dreams are the first step to success. From the start at Columbia College, Siegfried plunged into leadership opportunities. “It started off my first year, when I was recommended to run as a class senator. At the end of the first year I was recommended to be an orientation leader, and it was suggested I run for the Senate again. I was told, ‘You did a great job; you should do this.’ When people are saying, ‘You do good things,’ and recommending you, it builds up confidence, and I was more up to it, more willing to take a risk.” Siegfried went on to serve as vice president of the Student Government Association and then president of the Student Senate, as well as president of the Business, Economics and Accounting Club; president of Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honor society; and vice president of Columbia College Players, the theatre club. In her junior year, she won Student Leader of the Year; in her senior year, she won a Savory Award, given to seniors who exemplify personal and academic excellence, ethical leadership, and spiritual values. But it’s likely Siegfried will best be remembered for trundling recycling bins across campus.
           
With the DHEC grant in hand, Siegfried spent the summer between her sophomore and junior year choosing recycling bins and deciding how to find and reward volunteers. The City of Columbia’s Public Works Department provides curbside pickup and added the college to its routes. In January of her junior year, the bins and roll carts arrived, and in February, Columbia College started recycling. Volunteers took responsibility for residence halls, and by the end of the year, each campus building was covered. During her senior year, Siegfried put on the finishing touches, enrolling in the Leadership Semester, a semester-long course during which a student works on a project linking her major or minor and leadership development. She created a lasting structure for the recycling program: a student recycling director, a student building coordinator, a student volunteer coordinator. After all, after she graduated someone else needed to promote recycling; someone needed to empty the bins and rinse them out; someone needed to roll the bins to the dumpster pickup points. She also started Recycle Mania, her St. Patrick’s Day version of keeping the world green.

Siegfried also analyzed her own leadership development and decided, “My biggest challenge is delegating. I really could use more help. I need to trust people to get it done. My strengths are commitment and dedication.” She says her own expressions of leadership started when others recommended her for tasks or positions. “I was scared, but at the end, getting that praise built up my confidence. After doing something and being told, ‘Great job. Great idea,’ I would think, ‘Okay, maybe I can do this.’ That built my confidence to do the next thing. I would do one thing, and people would say, ‘You should try to do this,’ and I would think, ‘Oh, okay.’ So the first C is important, the courage to take on a challenge.” As is a P, for praise: “If I just did work and didn’t get anything in return, I might have stayed reluctant. Getting praise is important; praise makes you think you can build on your accomplishments.”

When Siegfried mentions the “first C” she is referring to the 4C’s, a leadership development program at Columbia College that emphasizes courage, commitment, confidence, and competence. She says she would add a few more C’s: creativity, caring, and community. “I’m dedicated to this campus, and I’m very passionate, and people see me everywhere. A leader is someone who has good communication skills. You have to be able to communicate, not just talk but listen. And I think you have to have passion and dedication for what you’re doing. You can’t lead if you don’t care.”