Do you ever think back to when you were a student and wonder how you got it all done? Take notes from Lucas Suazo.
Despite his busy schedule—including the President’s Leadership Program, serving multiple student organizations and keeping up with the course work for his double major in chemical and biological engineering and biomedical engineering—Suazo makes time to invest in his community.
He was recently named the 2015 Student Leader of the Year by the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation and the Boettcher Foundation at the Colorado Leadership Alliance Summit.
The Colorado State University junior has organized a STEM education experience for La Familia. He also serves as a resource to educate students about sexual violence and assault prevention as a Greeks Against Sexual Assault representative. Additionally, Suazo is a founding member of the Chronic Health Mentoring Program and counsels first-year undergraduate students in the management of a chronic condition while transitioning to college.
He’s clearly got no shortage of interests or energy, but no matter where you’re at in your leadership “career” there’s something we can all take away from Suazo and his experiences.
What would you say has been your greatest contribution to your community? How has this community involvement impacted you?
My most impactful community involvement is the work I’ve been doing in the Chronic Disease Mentoring Program. As a college student who was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease during my sophomore year of college, I know how debilitating dealing with college and managing a chronic a disease can be. To be able to share my experience to help others achieve their dream of obtaining higher education is priceless to me. I know that if it hadn’t been for the people in my life helping me along the way, I probably wouldn’t have been able to complete my college career, which has been a dream of mine for so long. Being able to give back, help others and share my experience has been really rewarding.
What community issues are you passionate about?
My dad was born into the peasant fields of Honduras. He got a scholarship to come to the U.S. to study, worked hard and eventually got his degree. Because of this, I have a real passion for issues of diversity. I want to make sure that no doors are closed to people because they hold minority identities.
How have your experiences in your school’s leadership program and the Colorado Leadership Alliance shaped you as a leader?
My involvement in (CSU’s President’s Leadership Program) and the Colorado Leadership Alliance have revolutionized the way I look at leadership. Through my experience in (these organizations) I’ve realized that everyone has the potential to lead. It’s up to us to nurture that leadership potential. How many leaders slip through the cracks because we don’t believe they have the potential to lead—or they don’t believe it because that’s the message that society has instilled in them?
What would your advice be to someone who is looking to get involved in the community?
First, don’t let anyone make you think that you can’t do something. If you listen to all the negativity in your life, we’re missing out on all the contributions you bring to society and the potential you have inside of you.
Second, don’t let the fear of failure from taking a step in the community. Most issues can’t be solved overnight. If you keep the fear of failure in your head, you’ll never take that first step toward solving these issues we face.
What are your goals for the future professionally and for your community involvement?
I plan to go to medical school and become a doctor. I’ve always loved science and math. But in addition to the scientific and technical side of medicine, I love the personal and societal issues that medicine touches on. I want to bring my leadership style into the world of medicine. I want to spend my life helping as many people as I can.
Interview conducted, condensed and edited by Danielle Mellema, communications and marketing specialist for the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation.