COBI Events and Programs

What UToledo Graduate Students Say About Their ALA Experience

"I would recommend attending to anyone who is serious about their professional future. The Advanced Leadership Academy will teach you and show you what it takes to be a real leader."

Yuriy Romanovich Yatskiv, Masters of Bioinformatics

"I would like to begin by expressing my gratitude at the privilege of being involved in such a wonderful experience. Our speakers had such energy and zeal that it would have been a difficult task to not be motivated and enthusiastic. This was a tremendous learning experience."

Garrett Keeton, Joint JD/Master of Business Administration Program

 

"The presentations, panelists and all the networking opportunities were simply phenomenal. This experience is definitely worth the time and effort!" 

Chandi Patel, RN, Masters Student

 

“The ALA was an excellent guided tour through the strategies and skills of leadership using amazing speakers who are proven real-world leaders. The ALA allowed me to explore not only models of leadership in others, but also allowed me to delve into my own leadership mantra. It was eye-opening and refreshing. I will definitely take what I learned in ALA and apply it to my everyday leadership strategy.”

Michelle Arbogast, Ph.D. in Educational Technology

 

“Being able to participate in the ALA was an exceptional experience at many levels. I got to meet fellow graduate students from across the campus which was awesome. I had the opportunity to network with some amazing people and learn from a great deal about leadership from world-class educators. And I had the opportunity to learn a great deal about the leadership journey of some very well-respected and successful leaders across the wide variety of disciplines. Our graduation banquet at our world-renowned Toledo Museum of Art was a perfect wrap up to this program and Dr. Adam Levine was a great out-of-the-box thinker and speaker! Thanks ALA for allowing me this inspiring learning opportunity!”

Stephen Bueno, Master of Business Administration

 

"The Advanced Leadership Academy has been a great experience. The program highlighted the qualities that make a successful leader, with emphasis on emotional intelligence, work relationships and public service. The panel discussion gave us insight to successful leadership and their experiences."

Michael Miranda, Ph.D. Candidate in Chemical Engineering

 

"ALA was a perfect window for my personal and professional growth. Sharing valuable stories and knowledge from different professional people in different areas helped me observe what I need to improve for my career life. It was an awesome opportunity to enhance my communication skills, too."

Emtithal Alhumood, Master of Business Administration

 

“GREAT! The ALA was very exciting and intellectually stimulating. It was eye opening to work with grad students all across campus. This experience gave me great insight and confidence into what it truly means to be an effective and results-oriented leader.”

Allison Dillion, Master of Business Administration

 

"My reaction after completing this program is simply, WOW, I learned many skills that are sure to benefit me throughout my academic and professional careers, and it was an overall great experience. Being able to hear some of the most successful local leaders and learn from their stories provided a tremendous learning experience. Thank you for facilitating this opportunity."

Robert Phillips, Department of Civil Engineering

 

"It was a privilege to attend The University of Toledo’s Advanced Leadership Academy. I received valuable insight from speakers in the business environment as to what it means to be an effective leader.  The importance of emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, and good communication skills are necessary to be a great leader in the workplace. A GREAT learning experience."

Lisa Foote, Master of Business Administration

 

"This program opened my eyes to new concepts and shed light on unique ways of thinking about traditional approaches to leadership. The energy of this academy is one that breeds positivity, learning, and teamwork! I have already begun reflecting and implementing new habits and methods of leadership into my daily routine."

Jangus B. Whitner, BSPS, Doctor of Pharmacy

 

"I am an international student from Kathmandu, Nepal. I have been at UT for almost five years and now I am in a stage where I should start looking for a job. So, I wanted to take part in this program for my personal development; it really helped me to build self-confidence, leadership skills, and better to prepare me for the job market."

Puja Pradhan, Graduate Student in Physics and Astronomy

 

"The ALA was a great professional development experience, and it has really helped me in my new career."

Matt Rubin, Master of Business Administration

 

“The Advanced Leadership Academy was an incredible experience that I would highly recommend to anyone that has the opportunity to attend. I gained valuable insight into the lives and careers of some of the most successful leaders the region has to offer, as well as accumulated a better understanding of myself and my personal behaviors. Thank you so much to COBI for putting on this amazing academy, and thank you to all of the wonderful guests that gave up their time to share their knowledge. This was a great experience.”

John Anderson III, Master of Business Administration

 

"What a phenomenal personal and professional development experience. Not only did we learn how to become an emotionally intelligent, results-oriented leader, we were able to learn from successful leaders from around the area. During each session the panel discussion participants varied in background, but each of them had invaluable coaching and career advice to share." 

Jenna LaSota, Master of Human Donation Science

 

"I personally enjoyed hearing the background and experience of so many different leaders in our community.  I especially liked that the people brought in to speak to us were not all business leaders.  I think the biggest thing I got out of the ALA was learning how critically important 'soft skills' are in order for leaders to be successful in every discipline.  While technical knowledge and intelligence are also important, they don't amount to much if the leader does not have the ability to get positive results working with people.  I think the quote I heard is what strikes me the most: "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." 

Amanda Jemmott, Master of Public Administration & Nonprofit Management

 

“Being able to participate in the ALA was an exceptional experience at many levels. I got to meet fellow graduate students from across the campus which was awesome. I had the opportunity to network with some amazing people and learn from a great deal about leadership from world-class educators. And I had the opportunity to learn a great deal about the leadership journey of some very well-respected and successful leaders across the wide variety of disciplines. Our graduation banquet at our world-renowned Toledo Museum of Art was a perfect wrap up to this program and the speaker was a great out-of-the-box thinker and speaker! Thanks ALA for allowing me this inspiring learning opportunity!”
Stephen Bueno, Master of Business Administration