A leadership organization on campus is working on revamping its program to help more out-of-state students gain experience outside of the classroom.

Applied Tailored Leadership Adventure for Success is now providing Arizona Leadership and iPad Scholarship recipients with the opportunity to participate in the program for free, said Ashley Krogel, director of ATLAS.

The Arizona Leadership and iPad Scholarship is a highly competitive award offered to non-resident students based on the merits they received in high school.

In the past, ATLAS was a standalone workshop series that anyone at the UA could sign up for. The Provost’s Leadership Academy worked separately from ATLAS until this semester, when the academy combined with the workshop series.

“Some of the students are in tracks that focus on time management, while others are learning about their leadership style,” Krogel said. “They’re learning information they may not necessarily be learning in their classrooms, but it definitely relates to the success of being in college.”

The program focuses on out-of-state students so they can have an opportunity to meet other students and learn about the Tucson community, developing leadership skills in the process.

Students benefit from this program by learning different skills that can help them become better leaders on campus.

The program is not just available for first-year, out-of-state students. Anyone interested in the specific tracks ATLAS offers can enroll in some of the workshops or in the entire program, which includes the three certificate options: bronze, silver and gold.

Participants can earn higher-level certificates by attending more workshops and participating in experiential activities after the workshops. The program offers 10 different tracks, which include topics like leadership skills and applications, professional development and emotional intelligence.

Students in a social justice workshop about stereotypes were asked to write down three adjectives based on what first came to mind when they viewed photos of people. This workshop was used to engage students about stereotypes and how they affect their everyday assumptions about people.

“[The workshop] opened my eyes to different stereotypes and how I can overcome them and be more open-minded about them,” said Uriel Gutierrez, a pre-retailing and consumer sciences freshman.

Farah Kilani, a pre-business freshman, said she enjoyed her first workshop and looks forward to the rest of the program.

“I like that we’re a group of different people with a common goal,” Kilani said. “Although this is my first workshop, I am hoping to learn a lot from the program.”

ATLAS plans on changing the program even more next year by offering class credit for the workshop and project areas, Krogel said.

“Our hope is that by attaching the credit hour, we can see more students excited about the program,” she said.

The program costs $25 for students who didn’t receive the Arizona Leadership and iPad Scholarship. ATLAS workshop subject areas include event planning, wellness and leadership, principles of leadership, social justice leadership, professional development and many more.

“We’re continuing to modify ATLAS and striving to make it even more engaging for students,” said Rebecca Hynes, a senior studying linguistics and anthropology and an ATLAS workshop facilitator. “We’re trying to make it so these workshops can be the best that they can be.”

– Follow Chandler Wicke @ChandlerWicke