Abstract
In modern college preparatory high school environments, there is increasing pressure for students to engage in and display leadership, in order to make themselves stand out as candidates for admission to institutions of higher education. This qualitative phenomenological study sought to explore the perceptions of alumni from a Midwestern Catholic high school, regarding their lived experiences of leadership education and practice while in high school, and to what extent these lived experiences have influenced their lives after graduation. The aim of this study was to create a foundation for evidence-based curriculum to promote theoretical and experiential student leadership education and practice within a Catholic high school environment. A total of ten alumnae were interviewed over the course of several weeks, and subsequently, their responses were analyzed for themes addressing the essential research question guiding this study: To what extent do Catholic high school alumni perceive their leadership education and practice in high school as influencing their current lives? Emergent themes included a diversification of leadership ideals and practice over time with a remaining emphasis on titular leadership, the influence of strong rapport with leadership role models, and the lasting influence of intentionality in leadership education. Based on these findings, this study proposed a requirement for a high school freshman-level leadership course accompanied by intentional leadership experience or practice, and continual reflection on leadership practice. Critical to implementation is the proposed continuous education of faculty and staff in the area of leadership, accompanied by their own experiential learning.|Keywords: Student leadership, Catholic education, leadership education