Islander Leadership Academy Supports Engineering Student’s Leadership Growth

The Islander Leadership Academy (ILA) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is a student development program designed to strengthen leadership skills through interactive workshops, professional engagement, and peer networking opportunities. The program provides students with structured learning experiences led by engineers and consultants focused on building essential tools for academic, personal, and professional success.

During the Spring 2026 semester, mechanical engineering student Grace Williams ’27 participated in the Islander Leadership Academy, completing workshops focused on critical thinking and leadership development led by René Ramirez and Carlos Martinez.

Williams said she was initially drawn to the program because of its focus on leadership development, flexible scheduling, and opportunities to connect with professionals and peers.

“I’m always looking for things that have the word leadership on them,” Williams said. “I think it’s always a useful skill to grow, and it looked like a great opportunity to meet other like-minded students and professionals.”

In the critical thinking session, Williams explored cognitive bias, objective decision-making, and the relationship between confidence and competency. She noted that the session helped her better understand how bias can influence engineering decisions.

“As an engineering student, you’re having to make really important decisions,” Williams said. “The critical thinking aspect is very key, and the workshop helped me become more aware of the different biases I can be subject to.”

In the leadership development session, Williams reflected on goal setting, accountability, and team management strategies, emphasizing the importance of results-driven leadership.

“Leaders get results,” she said. “You can make a goal, but it means nothing if you don’t know what achieving that goal looks like.”

Williams has already started applying these concepts in her leadership roles, including Director of the Student Volunteer Connection, President of the Board Game Alliance, and incoming board member for the Society of Women Engineers.

“He taught us that part of being a leader is checking in and taking down barriers for your team,” Williams said. “I’ve already started applying that with my leadership teams, and it’s been really productive.”

The Islander Leadership Academy will offer additional workshops in Fall 2026.