14 May
by Derrick Vander Waal
SIOUX CENTER – Jessica Mora learned leadership skills and built connections that will help her be a future leader in the Sioux Center community.
SIOUX CENTER – Jessica Mora learned leadership skills and built connections that will help her be a future leader in the Sioux Center community.
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| Jessica Mora of Promise Community Health Center walks across the stage to receive her memento during the Leadership Sioux Center graduation ceremony. |
The community care coordinator for Promise Community Health Center and 18 other young community leaders were honored at a graduation ceremony Wednesday for the inaugural Leadership Sioux Center program.
The program involved eight, eight-hour educational sessions that were conducted once a month at various locations in the community since October.
“I’m glad that I participated,” Mora said. “I feel like it benefits you in different ways. It helps you become more confident in yourself and be more of a leader.”
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| Jessica Mora (front, left) was among 19 graduates from the Leadership Sioux Center program. |
During the graduation ceremony, Cory Gotto, one of the program organizers, said Leadership Sioux Center grew out of a conversation among city and chamber of commerce officials about how the community has experienced much success over the years through a foundation of collaboration and visionary leaders. They wanted to sustain that environment so Sioux Center can continue to progress in the future.
Thus, the seed for the leadership training program was planted.
“We felt we should start a program that identified and connected our future leaders to each other and to the present and past leaders that have gotten us where we are today,” Gotto said.
Mora applied for the program after Promise executive director Nancy Dykstra and clinic manager Brittany Hamm talked to her about the opportunity.
“I just thought it would be a great opportunity – just learning from different leaders and about different things going on in the community,” she said.
The participants were briefed on Sioux Center’s history and growth. They took part in various group challenges and exercises to help them build their leadership skills. They toured different locations in the community, including health-care facilities such as Promise, agricultural and industrial operations, schools and local government offices. They gained greater insight on diversity and other issues.
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| Jessica Mora |
“For each place that we visited, I definitely learned people that I can connect with now. Before, I would not have had any idea that certain people were the key people to go to,” Mora said. “I definitely feel more comfortable being able to call some of those companies and ask them some questions that I may have.”
Mora said she only knew two other participants going into the program, but now she has a network of people she can collaborate with.
“At first, it was a little intimidating going in there not knowing anyone, but as the class progressed, we became closer, and you can almost say we became friends,” she said. “That was a great part, too.”
Mora thinks those connections are important.
“Working together as a group and doing the connecting and the networking is the best way to get something done productively,” she said. “Sioux Center has had all these great leaders, and they were able to make Sioux Center what it is today.”
Mora first worked as a receptionist and interpreter for Promise for three years, 2009-12. She assumed her current role as a community care coordinator when she returned to Promise in October 2013.
Promise Community Health Center, headquartered in Sioux Center, is the only Federally Qualified Health Center in the far northwest corner of Iowa. To learn more, visit www.promisechc.org.
