Granby Senior Takes to Rocky Mountains for Select Leadership Training

From Corrine Malley, intern at the Capitol Region Education Council

From the stage at to the peak of a Rocky Mountain, Meredith Hauser has had the summer of a lifetime.

Hauser was selected to be a member of the Capitol Region Interdistrict Leadership Academy (CRILA), which is a program sponsored by the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC). Each year, 30 juniors and seniors from the 35 school districts in the Hartford region participate in CRILA, with the goals of developing leadership skills and becoming more active members of their communities.

The CRILA program starts with a weeklong trip to the Colorado Outward Bound School in Leadville, CO. A week of mountain life with 29 students who are basically strangers when they board the plane to begin the trip can affect everyone in a different way, but Hauser said the mountains taught her to trust in her peers and to have confidence in herself.

“Everyone, and I mean everyone, has more strength in them – physically and emotionally –than they ever could have imagined, it just takes a lot of self-confidence and support from people you care for and respect to bring it out,” she said.

Hauser learned the value of teamwork and realized that supporting others in their growth process can be just as fulfilling as experiencing a transformation herself.

Following their trip to Colorado, this group of up-and-coming leaders will get together monthly, meeting with leaders in their community, reflecting on leadership texts, and working towards their common goal of giving back.

Hauser came to CRILA with some leadership skills and teamwork experience. She is the assistant director of the drama club at Kelly Lane Elementary School, a member of the Granby Memorial High School drama club and runs indoor track and plays on the tennis team.

Hauser and her fellow CRILA peers will also spend the rest of the school year planning and executing a service project to benefit the Capitol region. With each lesson, Hauser and her peers will develop into stronger young leaders, who will possess the skills necessary to make great contributions to society.

While Hauser is looking forward to the CRILA group service project, she hopes that her day-to-day activities will demonstrate her newfound leadership capacity. Additionally, she hopes to inspire others and to pay forward her learning.

After CRILA and high school graduation, Meredith hopes to go to a four-year university and pursue a degree in international relations so that she can utilize her multilingual skills in Mandarin and Spanish. 

The mission of the CRILA is “to provide a diverse forum whereby students will practice ethical and collaborative leadership through research and community services.” The program is completely free to students and school districts.

Applications are available each year in January and can be obtained by visiting the website linked below or contacting school guidance counselors. For more information about CRILA and to explore pictures from the CRILA 9 team’s adventure, please visit the CRILA website.