Liv Murphy, a senior Accountancy major, attended the US Air Force National Character and Leadership Symposium, bringing back lessons that she will apply as an athlete here at Wake Forest, in her future career, and in life in general. “It was a huge honor to be given the opportunity to learn from such well-spoken and inspiring leaders.”
Liv was particularly inspired by Sully Sullenberger, the pilot who famously landed US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River, whose main point was that “to be a great leader and to be successful you need to have complete confidence in yourself.” In reflecting on the experience of landing the plane in the river, he spoke of having no time to question himself. “You have to know that you are the best at what you do. Having full confidence in yourself in all aspects can lead you to success and make you the best leader possible.”
Liv was also inspired by Lt. Col. Alea Nadeen’s moving story of being captured and taken to Iraq for a few years, escaping, and returning to the US to join the Air Force Academy. “Everybody grows up differently. Everybody has different belief systems. You never know how they grew up and what their culture tells them is right or wrong. So as a leader, you always need to try to learn as much as you can about your people so you can treat them accordingly, so that you can completely understand their culture and background. Whatever career I may end up having, I really want to lead in a culture of connection and make sure that everyone feels like they are part of the family.”