LC Interns: Take 2!

I was invited to go to a presentation about Leader’s Challenge in 2003, when I was a sophomore at Ranum High School in Westminster. This was back when LC only offered one program, which today, is known as IGNITE. I had no idea what to expect and to be honest, I don’t remember much from the presentation. What I do remember is that one of the seniors that was a very influential student leader spoke about how she had done the program and that it was a great opportunity. So, I decided to apply, along with many of my friends. At the time we figured we had nothing to lose, but we certainly had no idea what we stood to gain.

By June, we were excited and nervous about the Summer Academy. It was the first time most of us were staying in dorms and the thought of living with strangers was nerve-wracking. But of course, our fears were unfounded. In those few short days, we grew closer as a team and made many new friends that we stayed in contact with afterwards. It was the beginning of a great year of work together, from interviewing firefighters, to meeting politicians, to and networking with other student leaders.

By the end of the year, we’d dealt with a lot of trials and tribulations, but more importantly, a lot of triumphs. I wanted the team to stay together and keep doing great things, but we soon found that we each had a different idea about what to do with all we’d learned.


Immediately after completing the program, I was able to secure an internship in the LC office for the summer. There, I put my new knowledge and skills to work as I participated in the planning of Summer Academy, and preparing for a new crop of potential leaders.

I mentored the new Ranum team throughout my senior year, but I also worked with some of my old teammates on Student Council. We were the senior class cabinet and wanted to make sure that our council didn’t just focus on planning bake sales and dances. Instead, we brought a new element of community service to student government and made helping others something everyone could be a part of.

As I neared graduation, I used my LC portfolio in interviews for college admissions and scholarships. Even if people hadn’t heard of the program, they liked what I had accomplished with it. Ultimately, my portfolio helped me get the Daniels Fund Scholarship, the CBS4 Peter Rogot Scholarship for broadcasting, and admittance to the University of Denver.

At DU, I chose to double major in journalism and political science, and joined several student organizations where I found new ways to use my leadership skills. But through the years, I continued interning with LC, working on a variety of special projects.

By sophomore year, I became an orientation leader, helping new students transition into college life. I also began interning at 9News because of connections I’d made through my work with LC, and the skills I gained in interviewing community leaders.

This, in addition to what I’d learned in high school, took me to Washington, D.C. in the summer of 2007, where I worked at C-SPAN and met leaders on Capitol Hill and at the White House. I followed up this experience with a semester abroad in Cork, Ireland, where I met new and exciting people every day. This experience allowed me to study civic engagement in Ireland and compare it to my experiences in Colorado. Most recently, I participated in the Clinton Global Initiative University in New Orleans, where I was inspired to put together a project to reform DU’s policies on sustainability.

Today, I’m nearing the end of my junior year and preparing to take on new opportunities. I was recently elected to serve on the Executive Boards of two student organizations, as well to the Undergraduate Student Association at DU as a Senator.

Although my internship with Leader’s Challenge is coming to a close, I know that I will always be a part of the LC family. As Founder and President of the LC Alumni Board, I am part of an ever-expanding network of young leaders. It’s so cool to see all of my LC friends doing great things; taking on positions of leadership at their universities, studying all over the country and the world, and bringing a new perspective to everything they do.

All students are leaders in the making – some further along than others - but I can say with 100% certainty that without LC, I wouldn’t have had the confidence or the courage to do much of what I’ve done since high school. Nor would I have made many of the connections, or developed many of the skills that I have today.

If you are reading this and thinking about joining the IGNITE team at your school, I hope you will take the challenge, as I did so long ago, and that you’ll find ways to use it for the rest of your life.

Mary Jean O’Malley, Ranum HS, ‘03
Founder and President, LC Alumni Board
mj.omalley@du.edu