Democracy’s College podcast goes inside the stories, structures, and advocacy efforts that empower community college students to lead and influence policy.
Community colleges have long been powerful incubators of student leadership, yet their contributions often remain overshadowed by four‑year narratives. In Episode 74 of “Democracy’s College,” Dr. Nina Owolabi brings this leadership landscape into focus through a conversation with Deana Schenk, the senior director for student success at the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB), along with student leader Leonidas (Leo) Hamza. Their conversation in the episode “Student Leadership in Community Colleges” reveals how student voice, when intentionally cultivated and structurally supported, becomes a catalyst for institutional change, statewide policy influence, and transformative personal growth.
The podcast examines the role of student leadership within Illinois community colleges, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges that shape students’ engagement in institutional and state‑level decision‑making. Host Nina Owolabi, a senior research assistant at OCCRL, frames the conversation by noting that while community colleges are “critical places for student leadership development,” their leadership narratives are often understudied. Yet, as she emphasizes, community college students have historically been central to institutional change, and their voices continue to shape policy and practice across the state.
The perspectives of both guests illuminate the ecosystem of student leadership from different vantage points. Dr. Schenk describes her work with the Student Advisory Committee (SAC) at ICCB as a structured effort to elevate student voice into actionable policy. She explains that SAC’s design intentionally moves students’ insights from campus‑level experiences into statewide conversations, ensuring that their perspectives inform ICCB priorities. As she notes, “A big part of this is making sure that student voice is not only collected, but it actually is used in a way that informs decisions and priorities at ICCB.” This process includes issue identification, cross‑campus comparison, committee refinement, and formal presentation to ICCB leadership.
Hamza offers a deeply personal account of discovering leadership as an adult learner returning to college at age 30. He describes overcoming early personal challenges with communication and confidence, and how stepping into leadership roles across TRIO, Phi Theta Kappa, and SAC helped him “organize [his] thoughts, which essentially organized [his] voice.” His reflections underscore the transformative potential of community college leadership experiences, particularly for students navigating complex life circumstances. Hamza’s account of Advocacy Day—where students present policy priorities to legislators—illustrates this transformation vividly. He recalls the empowerment of advocating for issues such as basic needs and the community college baccalaureate, noting that the SAC cohort “came together as strangers and ended as…friends forever.”
Hamza envisions an SAC that both develops and creates leaders. He imagines members in the organization speaking to student bodies statewide while motivating peers to overcome fear, articulate ideas, and engage in advocacy. His vision aligns with OCCRL’s commitment to peer‑driven leadership ecosystems and community‑rooted leadership development.
The episode also highlights key barriers to elevating student voice. Schenk identifies structural challenges such as rapid leadership turnover, uneven access to decision‑making spaces, and misalignment between institutional processes and students’ lived realities. Hamza adds that internal barriers—fear, self‑doubt, and lack of confidence—can be equally limiting, emphasizing the need for “virtuous leadership” among faculty and administrators who model moral clarity and student‑centered decision‑making.
Together, Schenk and Hamza articulate a vision for student leadership that is collaborative, equity‑driven, and grounded in lived experience. Their insights reinforce a central OCCRL principle: students are not merely participants in higher education systems—they are experts in their own experiences, and their leadership is essential to building more responsive, equitable, and effective community colleges.
Implications for Research and Practice
“Student Leaders in Community Colleges” offers several implications for OCCRL’s ongoing research on student leadership and autoethnography:
- Lived experience must be central to leadership development frameworks
- Policy structures should institutionalize student voice
- Leadership development must address both structural and internal barriers
- Hybrid engagement models expand access and inclusion
- Student leadership is a site of identity development, especially for adult learners
These insights can inform future OCCRL briefs, professional development, and research initiatives.
Conclusion
Episode 74 of Democracy’s College demonstrates the transformative potential of student leadership in Illinois community colleges. Through the voices of Schenk and Hamza, the episode illustrates how student leadership emerges, how it is supported, and how it shapes policy at multiple levels. Most importantly, it affirms that community college students are not merely participants in higher education systems—they are co‑creators of more equitable, responsive, and student‑centered institutions.