Leah Seften ’18
What involvement did/do you have with MOVE? What program did/do you volunteer with and/or lead? What years?
Core team leader for Middle School Mentors and FEED
What’s your MOVE story?
I learned about MOVE through an accepted-student overnight program where I had the opportunity to meet the then-director Heidi, as well as a group of student volunteers involved in the program and spend a weekend together volunteering and learning about MOVE. After a weekend with MOVE, I knew SMC was right for me. The compassion and commitment Saint Mike’s students have to giving back in their community was evident from the moment I stepped foot on campus. I love that MOVE offers a wide variety of ways to get involved, offering opportunities for students with varying passions to find ways to serve and give back to our local and global community.
In what ways did/does MOVE impact you?
MOVE serves as a space on campus to put our passion for volunteering to work with opportunities for advocacy and giving back. When I was a student, the program was led by Lara and Anna, who poured their hearts into both the programs as well as the student-leaders that ran them. Being involved in a community like MOVE is like finding a home-away-from-home.
At the start of my freshman year, I became a mentor through MSM and instantly fell in love with the program. This program called us as student-mentors to set an example for these girls in all aspects of our lives. The program allowed us to show our mentees work with the girls through hard conversations and the big emotions that come with middle school. Our mentees became like “little best friends” who we truly looked forward to spending time with each week.
I helped co-lead the program my sophomore and junior years, which further developed my leadership skills as I continued as a mentor to my mentee, but also became a mentor and resource to the other student mentors. The opportunity to serve in MOVE created life-long friendships with both my mentees as well as the other mentors in our program. I am so grateful for my opportunity to participate in MOVE and for all of the ways participating stretched my heart and mind.
If you are an alumni, what influence does MOVE continue to have on your life today?
MOVE continues to influence my life as it underscored the importance of giving back and the depth of need in all communities. I have stayed connected with so many I’ve met through this program and am lucky to call them friends years later!