On March 18, 2025, Siegfried Youth Leadership Program® (SYLP) welcomed nearly 300 middle and high school students from 14 schools for an engaging day of individual leadership development, entrepreneurship, and thoughtful reflection on the power of relationships.

This event, the 17^th since SYLP was founded, featured a keynote address by Henna Pryor (a local Delawarean, executive coach and workplace performance expert, and the award-winning author of Good Awkward), an engaging student panel, and dynamic breakout sessions focused on entrepreneurship, the power of connecting with others, leadership, and opportunity.

Based on the powerful idea of improving the lives of young people, SYLP provides leadership development opportunities for students in grades 8 through 12, as well as their teachers and mentors. Created and sponsored by The Siegfried Group, LLP (Siegfried), SYLP also partners closely with the University of Delaware’s Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship and Horn Entrepreneurship, as well as Junior Achievement of Delaware to organize these events.

Breakout sessions: equipping students with tools for success

Before the keynote by Pryor, students participated in two of four available breakout sessions. Presenters, who included University of Delaware faculty and staff, as well as leadership advisors from The Siegfried Group, encouraged participants to carefully consider how building strong relationships, understanding economic structures, and making informed choices can shape their future and positively impact not only themselves, but the people around them.

• Compelling Connections – Strengthening & Sustaining Relationships: Led by Lauren Campbell (Chief of Staff, Siegfried) and Nick Enos (Leadership Advisor and Associate Director, Siegfried), this session explored what it takes to maintain meaningful connections through life’s ups and downs. From navigating conflict to deepening trust, attendees heard personal experiences and practical strategies for sustaining friendships, mentorships, and community ties.
• From Competition to Monopoly: Market Structures and Mutually Beneficial Relationships: Professor Carlos J. Asarta, a leader in business education at the University of Delaware, helped students understand the characteristics of different market structures and discover how they can create win-win outcomes for marketplace participants. Professor Asarta shared what makes each structure unique, focusing on the “surplus” accrued by both consumers and producers when they interact voluntarily.
• Connection 101 - Networking Using Your Best Self: Professor Nat Measley of the University of Delaware led a session focused on how confidence, optimism, resilience, and engagement can contribute to being your best self when meeting someone new. He introduced basic leadership research and theory to explore how entrepreneurs' vision of themselves can affect the influence they have on their own actions, those around them, and their world.
• Invest in Your Future: It’s Your Paycheck: Laura Ahlstrom, researcher at the University of Delaware’s Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship, guided students through a lively session on how education shapes earning potential. Participants discussed how the skills and knowledge they develop as young people can influence their careers and how finding the right mentors can guide them toward success.

“SYLP is starting the conversations our students need to be having to develop and grow into tomorrow’s leaders,” said Joshua Getka, Academy of Finance Teacher at Woodbridge High School. “I have yet to find another program that pushes students in meaningful ways to leverage their strengths and learn to cultivate them into the ability to capitalize. The work that Siegfried and the SYLP team is doing is fantastic.”

Tactics on building new connections

Teachers and students also heard from keynote speaker Pryor about overcoming the fear of awkwardness, practicing neutral thinking, and taking social risks.

• Overcoming the fear of awkwardness: Feeling awkward is a natural part of initiating conversations and building relationships. Pryor encouraged students to embrace this discomfort as a catalyst for growth and connection. “It's impossible to get better at anything and look good at the same time,” Pryor explained, highlighting that self-consciousness should not stop individuals from taking social risks.
• Practicing neutral thinking: Pryor introduced the concept of neutral thinking, which focuses on facts and non-negativity to manage social anxiety and negative thoughts. She explained that neutral thinking helps individuals overcome the fear of rejection and build confidence in their interactions. “You can't control your first thought, but you can control your second. Choose a better second thought and get to neutral,” Pryor advised, providing actionable techniques for students to practice this mindset.
• Taking social risks: There is great significance to stepping out of one's comfort zone and initiating conversations to build powerful connections. Pryor shared personal anecdotes and research findings to illustrate the benefits of social risk-taking. “Creating connections starts with taking social risks. Just meet someone new, introduce yourself, and start somewhere,” she encouraged. Reflecting on her career success, she emphasized, “Ninety-nine percent of the game is the relationships you build,” urging students to take social risks to achieve their career goals.

Providing transformative experiences

“As a student, I believe this program is absolutely amazing and transformative for teenagers,” a Smyrna high school student shared. “I’ve picked up many lessons and met so many new people that I took the chance to get to know, which expanded my network.”

Siegfried has spent more than 35 years delivering on its higher purpose to help people transform themselves into better leaders to exponentially improve their lives. In 2016, Siegfried’s CEO and Founder, Rob Siegfried, expanded this reach and created SYLP, which is designed for students in grades 8 through 12, as well as their teachers and mentors. As part of the program, the SYLP team hosts events during which student participants focus on developing the qualities they need to start, or continue, their journey toward becoming strong individual leaders and building a successful future. Overall, the program aims to create a more rhythmic approach to focusing on individual leadership.

The next SYLP event will take place this fall at the University of Delaware.