This year’s award recipient for the Marriage and Family Counseling Program is Natalie Clayton. 

Natalie was nominated for this leadership award by her classmates. Amongst a group of strong, smart, and competent students, they saw her as a leader amongst them. They are all leaders so it says something about Natalie’s character and presence that they would call her their leader. Natalie leads by example, by word, and by action.

In her book, Dare to Lead, Brene Brown defines a leader as someone who “takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes, and who has the courage to develop that potential.” In all that Natalie does as a student, intern counselor, Graduate Assistant, friend, and classmate – she is one who has consistently demonstrated the courage to develop the potential in others. I would say she has a skill to see and help uncover the potential in others, even as she was learning to tap into her own potential.