Become a Leader When You Study in Vienna: LEADS Program Student Spotlight Noa Priller

Leadership isn’t something that comes naturally to every individual, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be trained and developed just like any other skill. Leadership is a valuable life skill that carries over to benefit almost any endeavor in academics and beyond. Whether you want to pursue a career in management, work with a team in the field of psychology, or enter the world of finance, having excellent communication and collaboration skills will be of great benefit. The Webster LEADS Leadership Certificate Program empowers our diverse student body to assume leadership roles on campus, in society, and in the global workforce.

Here at Webster Vienna Private University, we cater to this particular need. Our goal is to help students develop into global citizens with an international perspective that allows them to make a difference in the modern world, and our LEADS program is just one option that helps them achieve this. Read on to learn more about becoming a member of the WVPU community and about our LEADS program.

The LEADS Program Provides Personal and Professional Growth for Students Who Study in Vienna

We were able to interview a member of the LEADS program, Noa Priller, to gain more insight into the goals, requirements, and events that make up the program. Noa is majoring in Management with an emphasis in Marketing, and minoring in Political Science. We asked what the main goal of LEADS is, and she said “to become a leader. We have a few requirements to engage in practical leadership opportunities, such as events happening at WVPU where we need to organize and be present at the event. For example, our new student orientation, which is coming up soon, is so much fun.”

Noa also noted that students in the LEADS program “also participate in professional development workshops. So, for example, there is LinkedIn Learning and other workshops at Webster that we need to do.” She stated that “we also need to do 40 volunteer hours that are outside of Webster, and you have until you graduate to complete these.” These requirements allow students to apply the personal and professional skills they are developing to real situations both on campus and in their local community while they study in Vienna.

Personal, academic, and professional growth are all expected outcomes of the LEADS program at WVPU

Developing Forward-Thinking Leaders on Campus and in Our Community

Student life at Webster is about much more than just sitting in a classroom. We value community involvement across the campus, supporting clubs and organizations such as the Model UN, Sexuality and Gender Alliance, and the Student Government Association that advocates for our students and their larger communities. The LEADS program is also very intent on helping students campus-wide acquire leadership skills, even if they may not see themselves as a natural leader.

We asked Noa what she would tell a student considering joining the LEADS program. Her response? “Just do it. In my mind, everyone can be a leader, it’s just something that you can improve and learn. You get to learn to listen before speaking, and how to really work together with others. Especially nowadays,” she continued, “it’s really important, because it’s basic professional life skills that you need everywhere and in every situation.” 

Noa commented further on this community-minded environment found at WVPU. “New student orientation is coming up and it’s so exciting to meet new people, but also for me it’s crazy to see the ‘young ones’ taking their not so sure steps into our campus” she said. “And for me, remembering myself when I was at that day, it’s crazy how much I changed and matured, and a lot of this is thanks to Webster and the people here” she added. 

Webster is dedicated to helping students develop important life skills, including leadership, when they study in Vienna - Noa Priller - majoring in Management with an emphasis in Marketing, and minoring in Political Science

Making an Impact on the Future with LEADS Projects

With a global mindset, students are able to make impactful contributions to our current society as well as future generations. Noa shared with us how the LEADS program does this. “We also have a student leadership class that is mandatory to take to get the LEADS certificate” she said. “This class gave me the opportunity to turn a passion of mine into a social startup idea that we are currently working on. If the startup works, it creates a future for me that incorporates my passion, and also impacts change in Austria, which is what I’m really thankful about for the program.”

Noa’s startup idea involves the creation of an app where women can ask for help and support in different situations to prevent sexual harassment and violence. It’s an important initiative because “Currently, Austria is ranked third place in the EU for number of femicides. UN women also published a hidden pandemic, where they talk about the increase in violence against women and girls.” She added that “we also want to generate data on our website and start sharing stories to, in general, end the taboo topic of gender violence.” 

Noa is a great example of the leadership, initiative, and commitment students at Webster have towards making a positive change in the lives of others as they study abroad in Vienna. 

Interested in earning an undergraduate degree in Vienna?

Contact WVPU for more information!