SUCCESS STORIES - GABE KIRITZ

He leads almost every group he joins, yet Gabe Kiritz did not always take the initiative to lead. Concerning his first year in the LEAD Program with CLC. Gabe shares, “During debriefs it would always be a pain to get people to raise their hands. I just quietly sat by.” Outside of the LEAD program, his National Outdoor Leadership School instructors told him that he needed more confidence.

As LEAD adults began to entrust Gabe with leadership responsibilities, his will to lead and his confidence in leading grew. While a volunteer with the CLC middle school program, the CLC staff member in charge gave Gabe the responsibility of leading the group for a time. “She [the CLC staff member] trusted me to be in charge of the group if she had to do something. She trusted me to make sure that we were safe,” says Gabe. “I like people trusting me and feeling that they can give me responsibility,” he adds. During his time in LEAD, Gabe also received the charge to co-plan all of the night-hikes that the group went on during the overnight trips. Gabe remarks, “As the [first] year progressed, I started to volunteer a lot more. I realized that was why I was there. I started to put a lot more into it so I got a lot out of it.”

Gabe shares that people outside of LEAD began to notice his increased confidence and leadership ability. Reflecting on his second course with the National Outdoor Leadership School, he says, “I had a lot more confidence after LEAD. People would trust me, and ask me questions. For four days, we traveled without an instructor. The group voted me to be the leader of the group. There was a change there.” Gabe explains how the change came about: “I gained from LEAD the confidence to stand up and be in charge. To be able to observe how other people are feeling, and to notice how they are engaging. I learned about making some changes to make everyone as successful as possible.” In the past year, Gabe has honed his leadership skills by co-leading with the CLC staff during Challenge Days for community organizations. “I learned about phrasing questions to maximize how much people get out of something,” he says. Gabe has also worked for CLC, and co-emceed the Fourth Annual CLC Fundraising Breakfast. “LEAD has given me more of a direction,” Gabe says. “There are adults that I can talk to about my life, and what I’m doing, and feel proud about what I’m doing with them.” After graduating from Palo Alto High School this spring, Gabe plans to attend college and enter the Coast Guard. He also hopes to attend flight school to become a pilot, though he does not plan to pursue piloting as a career. Gabe’s other interests include biology, ornithology (the study of birds) and cars.