On April 15th, 2026 students and faculty came together to welcome the former ambassador of South Africa, Patrick Gaspard. Gaspard engaged in a thought-provoking discussion with moderator Richard Stengel, whom I have had the pleasure of working with this semester as part of the Nelson Mandela Leadership Fellows program.
Gaspard touched on his time as the ambassador of South Africa, the humorous conversations he had with former President Barack Obama and more recently, his role serving as the advisor to NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
I was blown away by all the knowledge he had to share. A hefty part of the conversation touched on what it means to be a leader during trying times. Being a college student in this political climate comes with its challenges. Listening to Gaspard soothed some of the nerves I
have for my future.
At one point when Stengel asked him a question related to successful leadership, Gaspard began talking about what he calls a “defining moment.” He believes that for many current leaders there is a stance that defines their entire time as a leader. He goes on to list examples such as Bush being in favor of the war after 9/11 and the current stances Mamdani has taken that led him to win the mayoral race. This notion of “defining moments” stuck out to me and I have continued to ponder on what my defining moment will be.
The ease in Gaspard’s voice while discussing somewhat unnerving political ideas lightened up the crowd. When it came time for questions, everyone’s hands went up and Gaspard did his best to answer the majority of the questions in the room.
Reflecting on Gaspard’s message on leadership has left me curious about what the future
holds. In the middle of his speech, he began to look ahead to the 2026 midterms and the future
2028 presidential race. Along with Gaspard, the audience in the room shared the same optimism for what the future could look like politically.
Being a part of the Mandela fellowship, the question of the semester has been: what does it mean to be a leader? I found Gaspard’s talk to come at the perfect time and it was truly a defining moment for
me as a student. I was enchanted by Gaspard’s ability to narrate a message from his own personal stories; I think it was his perspective from lived experience that made his talk so worthwhile. As I look onward to a post-college future, I will keep Gaspard’s message on leadership with me even when it seems as though the country is turning in the opposite direction.
