Lucia Doty: Leadership

Hi there! My name is Lucia Doty. I am a double major in Religious Studies and Public Relations with minors in Dance and Leadership Studies. I am from Marin County, California, which is right across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. At Gonzaga, I am a part of our Contemporary Dance Company. We get the opportunity to travel to Utah and perform at the American College Dance Association (ACDA) regional dance conference. You can also find me giving tours on Friday mornings for our ambassador program at Gonzaga. I love to move my body in any way, from yoga to pilates to dance to taking walks around Spokane, admiring the beautiful sunsets. Setons has been such a blessing this year, and I can not wait for the Class of 2026 to connect with their sisters in meaningful and empowering ways next year.

Being a part of Setons this year has helped me harness my leadership strengths. We are all leaders in Setons, and I feel that my leadership skills have grown so much this year working with some of the beautiful souls at the Boys and Girls Club right up the road from Gonzaga. At the Boy and Girls Club, I saw how much the kids truly admired the volunteers and staff. I quickly realized how important it is for us, Setons, to make a last impression on those younger than us and to share some of our values of compassion, empathy, understanding, curiosity, and understanding. As I volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club with my fellow Setons, I found that asking the kids as many questions as possible about themselves was one way that I could lead. Showing up for them every Monday afternoon and asking simple questions like, “How was your day?” “What was your favorite class today?” “What are you thankful for?” builds trust and a shared vulnerability between us. As far as I know, some of the kids at the Boys and Girls Club do not have an adult figure asking them these questions with care, which is why, as a leader, I made sure to build that authentic and intentional connection with the kids, calling them always by name when I ask a question and always offering a smile along the way.