Going For the Bold: University Honors Program Student Takes on Leadership Position of Olympic Proportions in Beijing

[July 2007 press release about Honors Student Advisory Board Member Leah Schwisow]

MOSCOW, Idaho – Volunteering and leadership are like oxygen to Leah Schwisow; they breathe life into her. So when she applied to be a volunteer team leader for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, she only hoped her lifetime of contributions would give her an edge. In the end, her record of devotion has given her a chance to make an impact halfway around the globe.

Schwisow, a sophomore at the University of Idaho from Melba, Idaho, is one of just 30 students from around the country, and the only one in the Pacific Northwest, to be chosen as a team leader by the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG). She will lead a team of 10 other university student volunteers next year during the Olympics.

"My mom instilled the need to volunteer in me since I was young, and I've been doing it ever since," she said. "I enjoy volunteering. It makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something."

Her freshman year at the university, she jumped right in to serve as deputy director of community relations for the Associated Students of the University of Idaho's (ASUI) Center for Volunteerism and Social Action.

Steve Janowiak, director of the University of Idaho Student Activities and Leadership Programs Office, said Schwisow's drive and commitment to volunteer work were obvious immediately. "She became involved right away. Her enthusiasm, maturity and determination help her follow through at just about any cost. Volunteering at the international level naturally is the next step," he said.

Schwisow's passion for community service will be put to good use during a training excursion she'll undergo Aug. 5-19 of this year.

"The team leaders are traveling to Beijing to meet with the Olympic Committee to learn what our roles will be and get a crash course in speaking Chinese," she said. "We also will have two additional volunteer projects – one at the Woolong Nature Reserve with the pandas, and another project at the Great Wall of China."

Her contributions to the Woolong Nature Reserve have another connection to home; a University of Idaho alumnus, Zhang Hemin '89, serves as director of the reserve and has become known throughout China as "Father of the Great Panda."

"It's nice to know there's another Idaho face in China," Schwisow said, adding that the opportunity to give back to an international community makes the trip more special.

"With the volunteer aspect, her journey is not just a trip abroad," said Jon Gaffney, ASUI president and former director of community relations for the Center for Volunteerism and Social Action. "Leah wants to make a difference and do something to make a change above and beyond what she could do here in Moscow."

Following her summer journey, Schwisow returns to Moscow to continue her coursework for degrees in biology and theater arts. In addition to her academics and volunteerism, she will be taking extensive Chinese language courses online.

"I'm hoping to pick up key phrases that I can use over and over," she said. "It will be difficult. I've heard that saying one thing may be interpreted differently just by intonation, so I'm a little anxious."

Her packed schedule may keep her too busy to stress out; she hopes to step up as director of community relations for the center this year.

"I have many ideas for projects, including joint efforts with the community to tie them into the university. I also want to bring in Pullman and WSU," Schwisow said. "I encourage everyone to volunteer. In addition to helping people, you develop people skills and get a window into different situations from all walks of life. It's very eye-opening."

The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, held Aug. 8-24, 2008, will play host to 28 summer sports with approximately 10,500 athletes expected to participate. To learn more about the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, visit en.beijing2008.cn.

An initiative of ASUI, the Center for Volunteerism and Social Action fosters lifelong commitments to service and civic action by engaging student and communities in transformational experiences that educate and develop character. To learn more about the office and programs, visit www.asui.uidaho.edu/volunteer.