Will Newton

What did you enjoy most about your ASLF experience?

It was very inspiring to hear the honest stories from prominent leaders in Arkansas who were once in our shoes. Knowing that these leaders dedicated their entire careers to serving their community -- and persisted against hardships -- is a lessen from my experience that I still hold to this day. There were several leaders who shared the countless moments of failure that they experienced in their careers, and it comforts me to know that any inevitable failures I will face in my career is not the end of my story, but can instead be a pivotal learning experience for myself and others.

What long term impact on your leadership skills do you see from your time at ASLF?

After attending ASLF, I looked back on the reasoning behind my goals and aspirations, and realized the root of my future career was largely self-oriented. Learning the importance of being a leader who serves others instead of himself gave me a new perspective on the power of writing and its ability to be a medium of support for the underprivileged, businesses, artists -- even entire nations. Regardless of if I am writing for an individually-owned zine to a globally-recognized publication, the words I write can have power to them -- I just need to use them as a means for service and good.

What do you wish you had know before attending ASLF?

In hindsight, I wish I would have been more intentional about establishing meaningful connections and friendships with the other ASLF attendees. I had the privilege of attending both ASLF (twice!) and NSLF, granting me the opportunity to be apart of three different classes of servant-hearted young adults who will go on to do great things for their communities, and I think that working to form lifelong relationships with my peers would have been a great resource, both professionally and relationally!

Now that you're in the marketplace, what does it mean to you to be a servant leader?

I'm pretty new to the marketplace, so I'm not any direct position of leadership. However, as a writer, I see myself as someone whose mission is to uplift the stories of others. It can be very easy and tempting to use the stories of others to glorify myself in my writing, but my time at ASLF furthered my understanding of using one's skills and abilities to serve others. I hope to see myself as a servant leader by ensuring that my writing is solely about bringing deserved attention to people who are doing great things in the world.