Leading the Way

New FLAG course prepares student leaders for senior year, and beyond.

Juliana Lucero '26 grew up in Malden, Massachusetts, the daughter of Guatemalan immigrants. A boarding student, she is the first in her family to attend high school, and is about to become the first in her family to attend college. “It’s such a blessing,” Lucero says.

Though her family is not far away, it was difficult for Lucero to leave home. Thankfully, her dorm proctor helped her during that challenging time. When Lucero heard about Future Leaders at Governors, or FLAG, a new course for juniors, she was intrigued. “Entering my junior year, I was thinking I really wanted to become a proctor, and a strong proctor, like the one I had my freshman year,” Lucero says. “The description of FLAG was focused on leadership, so I figured I would see what it was about.” 

FLAG is the brainchild of Dean of Students Erin Davey. Davey describes herself as a “product of boarding school” who re-entered the boarding school world immediately after graduating from Connecticut College. “Leadership development has always been a huge interest of mine, and was something I really focused my college education on,” Davey says.

Davey started her career at The Williston Northampton School as a teacher and coach, and worked her way to a dual role as Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Community Life. “I focused heavily on dorm leadership, student government, and overall leadership building skills,” she says. 

When Davey came to Govs in 2023, she observed that the school excelled in student leadership, but focused on senior leaders. “I noticed there was no pre-programming,” Davey says. “There was an opportunity to talk about leadership, what it means, and how students can develop their own individual skills.”

Davey designed the FLAG curriculum to focus on the soft skills that contribute to strong leadership but are not always covered in the rigorous academic program offered at Govs. She researched existing leadership training modules for professionals and college students, and reflected on what could have better prepared her for her career. FLAG meets once a month on Saturday mornings for two hours. Davey chose one skill to focus on each month, supported by TED talks, group discussion, and scenario-based training.

The current FLAG curriculum starts with the importance of understanding oneself. “You don’t have to be an extrovert,” Davey says. “You can be a leader and be an introvert. The most important thing is that you’re yourself. Confidence is a foundational practice.” From there, the group goes over communication skills and styles. “How to speak your truth, stay confident, stand your ground, and how to recognize when someone is communicating with you poorly,” Davey says.

The FLAG students then discuss decision-making, decision fatigue, and the fear of making a wrong decision. Then, mentorship, and what it means to be a good mentor, before finishing with failure resilience and how to build from the bottom up. Davey makes sure to include lessons on cultural awareness along the way.

FLAG is an opt-in program open to any junior year student. Last year’s inaugural group had 40 students. This year, there are 50, about half of the eligible class. This year’s Academy President, Senior Class President, and Senior Class Vice President all participated last year.

Lucero says the FLAG lesson on confidence stuck with her the most, when Davey helped the students realize that confidence is not only about believing in yourself but also about uplifting others. She also appreciated practicing scenarios specific to serving as a proctor. “That practice helped me gain confidence in being a leader,” Lucero says.

Last spring, the broader school community nominated Lucero for her dream role, a Proctor to help ninth graders just as one had helped her. “It feels good because it feels like the school really trusts me,” she says. She was assigned to Nannie B. Phillips dormitory, her first choice. 

In addition to her role as a proctor, Lucero serves on a group of community facilitators who organize conversations around identity, equity, and inclusion, and as a peer advisor, helping other students navigate the social aspects of life at Govs. “I think the lessons I learned in FLAG are going to help me a lot in college, just to be open-minded and not take things personally,” she says.

For Davey, Lucero’s enthusiasm to apply FLAG to her broader life is the ultimate goal. “They’re leadership skills, but they’re things that we hope students can take with them beyond Govs.” 

Lucero says the course also prepared her for transitioning to a much larger campus in college. “I think how small Govs is has allowed me to grow and become a strong, independent, and confident person. Now I feel like I’m ready to be in an environment with more people.”