When Ruhi Motwani, founder and president of the “You Can Be a Leader” Club at McCallum, announced she was moving to Florida, many students wondered what the future held for the club. Despite the distance, Motwani has clarified that her leadership is far from over.
“I started the club after I attended a three-week pre-college camp at Barnard College in New York,” Motwani explained when asked what inspired her to form the club. “The camp focused on business, entrepreneurship, and leadership. I came to the realization that anyone can be a leader, not just people in influential positions of power. That’s what led me to want to start the club.”
Since its inception, “You Can Be a Leader” has been dedicated to fostering leadership skills among McCallum students, encouraging them to see that leadership doesn’t always mean being the loudest or the most powerful person in the room.
The club, which started last year, has grown into a meaningful space where students not only learn leadership skills but also get exposed to guest speakers from various fields. One of the club’s newly appointed vice presidents, Chloe Seckar-Martinez, reflected on how Motwani’s efforts paved the way for these opportunities.
“Last year, she brought in guest speakers for us to hear from,” Seckar-Martinez said. “We had a photographer, a lawyer, and even an influencer speak to us. We were also planning to bring in more guests, like Kendra Scott and local restaurant owners. Even though Motwani has moved to Florida, she’s made sure that the program continues because it’s such a great opportunity for students to learn how to become leaders.”
Junior club member Corinne Hampton echoed this sentiment. “It’s definitely been different not having the founder of the club be able to run it in person since they moved,” she shared. “But I think that the club is still going to be able to run smoothly this year since we now have some club officers who will be running it under the guidance of the founder, Ru.”
Despite her move, Motwani remains deeply involved in the club’s activities.
“Now that I’m remote, I’m still in charge of planning bi-weekly to monthly meetings with the officers,” she said. “We discuss club ideas and I’ve been reaching out to guest speakers, keeping the social media accounts updated, and creating presentations for meetings. I’m doing everything I did last year when I was in person, except for attending and leading the meetings themselves.”
Her ability to adapt has been crucial in ensuring the club remains active and continues to meet its goals.
The transition hasn’t been without its challenges, according to Motwani.
“I have two amazing vice presidents who’ve helped make the process easier,” she said. “But the hardest part has been preparing myself mentally to know that I can only do so much online and not everything is in my hands. I would love to come to all the meetings, but that’s not possible, so it’s been tricky to transition to doing all the behind-the-scenes work. But I know I’ve left the club in great hands!”
Seckar-Martinez, who has taken on a leadership role in Motwani’s absence, has worked tirelessly with her co-vice president to ensure the club’s success.
“We were selected as vice presidents, and over the summer, we reached out to a lot of businesses,” Seckar-Martinez shared. “We’re bringing back people like the influencer Motwani introduced last year, and we’ve been in contact with local restaurants like Nervous Charlie’s and El Dorado. Right now, we’re doing meetings virtually to check in with Motwani and see what our goals should be.”
Even though this is only the second year of the “You Can Be a Leader” club, the vice presidents are committed to maintaining its original mission.
“Our goal this year is to keep going with the original intention of the club. Although she can’t be here physically, Motwani is still a vital part in helping us reach out to other businesses and create lessons to teach leadership values to students at McCallum,” Seckar-Martinez explained. “It’s about showing students that you don’t always have to be the loudest person in the room to be a leader, and that’s something we emphasize.”
Looking forward, Motwani hopes to expand the club beyond McCallum.
“Once I’m more settled in, I would love to expand the ‘You Can Be a Leader’ club to schools across the Orlando area,” she said. “I’ve been thinking about expanding the club across Austin ISD for a while, so that might be something you’ll hear about from me soon.”
Motwani’s move to Florida hasn’t diminished her passion or leadership. Instead, she’s found new ways to contribute from afar, proving that leadership knows no boundaries. With her remote guidance and the dedication of Seckar-Martinez, Hampton, and the other officers, the “You Can Be a Leader” club continues to thrive, reminding students that anyone, anywhere, can be a leader.
