Dinner With Our Alumni: IcedEthan

Hello all! It’s been a while but I am excited to announce a new Sunday dinner! For those that don't know, Dinner With Our Alumni is a series of small interviews that I conduct with 7 Cups Academy alumni to know more about their journey in the program - this post is dedicated to the Leadership Development Program! The aim is to spread more awareness about the program and hope everyone gives it a read!

Today, we have our very own @IcedEthan! Ethan is 19 and lives in the United Kingdom, living a city life with his friend. Ethan has 2 cats: Dali and Bear! Not only cats but also a cockatiel named Chicken! In his free time, Ethan loves to play video games and go out with friends. On 7 Cups, IcedEthan has been supporting the Academy for a long time now. He started as an intern graduate and now supports the Internship program as well as the Leadership Development Program.

What was on the menu? Spaghetti bolognaise! With a lot of parmesan cheese and some garlic bread.

Without further ado, here's Ethan for you:

What made you join the LDP?

I’ve been on 7Cups for a couple years now and have previously completed the Internship, so the introduction of additional Academy programs really intrigued me and I was inspired to join based on my experience with the Internship.

How was your experience doing the coursework?

Some people, myself included, are easily put off by the idea of coursework but everything you need to do as a Trainee is very clearly set out and none of the work is too difficult. I found it quite enjoyable learning about the different aspects to leadership and development, and how they apply to 7Cups and the real world.

Did you find it easy to navigate through the forums for each course?

Yes, it was incredibly simple! There are easily accessible links to everything, and I know that if I couldn’t find what I was looking for I could just ask an Academy Mentor.

How did you dedicate your time to doing the coursework?

I looked at how much work there was to do over the course of the program, and I divided equally between the number of weeks and did little work but often, which made everything a lot easier. It was very easy to make a little sort of schedule with reminders of when to do what work.

Which course did you like the most? And why?

I loved Course 1 the most because it was a great introduction to the program and really helped me to understand myself more.

What role did you get into after the program? How are you liking the role you got into for the LDP?

I became an Academy Mentor for the Internship program, which is great because of my experience with previously completing the Internship!

If you had to give one tip to the current trainees, what would that be?

Remember that this is a completely optional online program, and you should be having fun. Enjoy what you do and take your time to figure out which leadership area you want to go into.

What can we do to make the program better?

I’m not sure, I think it’s great the way it is and I managed to get through it all with no struggles.