Jennifer Boa, Class of 2017

Jennifer Boa
Supervisee in Social Work, Health Connect America
Norton, VA

What is new and exciting with you now or since your time with Lead Virginia?
Since my time with Lead Virginia, I began a new position in Social Work. In my current role, I go to schools and visit with students who are very poor, and I lead group and individual counseling sessions focused on specific goals, like learning social skills or appropriate classroom behaviors, developing good attendance habits, or creating ways for them to cope with their problems

How has your Lead Virginia experience influenced or shaped you as a leader?
Lead Virginia gave me the push to get more involved in our region. I learned that I can be a part of the change, in a variety of different areas. The knowledge I’ve gained about growth in other regions has allowed me to become a better leader in the Commonwealth, especially when working with individuals from different regions.

Since Lead Virginia, how have you put your social capital to work?
My current role requires constant social capital; I need to have positive interactions with my clients, their case workers, teachers, administrators and parents; but I think I can do more. I am working with another individual to develop a mentoring program for youth in our town to connect strong community leaders with local high school and middle school students in an effort to show them the importance of education, hard work, and social capital.  

What did you expect from Lead Virginia going in? Did the program exceed your expectations and broaden your horizons?
Overall, Lead Virginia far exceeded my expectations. I learned a lot about each region of the Commonwealth and what I can do to better my own region. I also developed strong connections with my classmates, and that’s what makes Lead Virginia different from other leadership programs around the country. The bonds we formed will allow us to continue growing social capital in an effort to make real change across the Commonwealth.