Cheyenne Newman

I think that a good leader should understand, empathize with, and act on the wants and needs of everyone around them. They should respect the experiences of the people they lead, whether they be citizens, employees or anyone else. A good and effective leader should be, first and foremost, a good listener.

In the words of Albert Einstein, “we cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” The fact is, the problems that our thinking has created are enormous. If we want to change our society to be oriented towards people and the planet rather than just profit, we have to

For me, necessity. I don’t see that I have a future if we don’t take immediate action. The status quo is ridden with a whole host of converging crises: climate change, disease and economic inequality, to name a few. The world as we know it was not built to last, so we need to think

Disruptions to the status quo are good, especially when the status quo is fractured. We have to think beyond making change within existing institutions; we need to rebuild their framework and the leadership that runs them. I think it is an act of resistance to adhere to alternative mindsets and value systems, and that questioning

It starts looking at our issues as opportunities for change rather than agents of destruction. Having a ‘change in mindset’ is more than just a change in outcome; it’s a transformation of the entire system of doing things, from design to implementation. However, this transformation is much simpler than we give it credit for: it’s

Restructuring is an imperative to achieving our shared goals. With the same societal framework, one devoid of opportunities for real collaboration, our actions will not generate the impact necessary to achieve sustainability and equity because our decisions won’t include input from all stakeholders. We need genuine collaboration through restructuring of our institutions and creation of

I think it starts with creating venues for collaboration. We need to lift up those who succeed and empathetically listen to the concerns of those who don’t; and, when people don’t succeed, we need to hear their grievances, understand why, and work to fix their circumstances. Everyone has a unique perspective with value to add

For me, it’s myself. In searching for transformative solutions, I constantly question myself. Do we mend the world by attempting to return to some past economic and political systems? Do we overthrow the status quo in its entirety? What of the status quo is even worth salvaging? What is my place in this process? Am

It is a difficult question with a simple answer. Just start. We are all afraid of being the lone changemaker. As much as the idea is romanticized, most of us are comfortable being angry at the institutions we are part of without taking meaningful steps to address the core issues. Part of why there is

Environmental issues are close to my heart. I think sustainable development is instrumental to a prosperous, human-centered future and that we must use our means of mitigating harm to drive equity as well as perform damage control. Climate change is just one of many interrelated crises Gen Z is inheriting, including climate change, economic inequalities,