ULEAD Leader Quest Kicks Off With Nearly 50 Students
Students from six high schools began a full-day leadership session in Elkhart as part of the ULEAD Leader Quest program.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Secondary Education
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Nearly 50 students from six high schools began ULEAD's Leader Quest program with a full-day session in Elkhart. The students took part in activities designed to push them outside their comfort zones and meet new people.
Why it matters
The program aims to build leadership skills among high school students across the region, with lessons carried from the sessions into their schools and communities. Continued work with Trail Guides between sessions is intended to turn what students learn into action.
Nearly 50 students from six high schools are enrolled in this year's Leader Quest program, which runs three full-day sessions. The first session was held in Elkhart on November 12, 2026, with the remaining two scheduled for January and March 2027, and no program outcome data has been reported yet.
The players
ULEAD
ULEAD is the organization that runs the Leader Quest leadership program for high school students in northern Indiana.
The details
Students met new people and took part in activities designed to push them outside their comfort zones during the first session. Teachers known as Trail Guides will continue working with students between sessions to help turn lessons into action at their schools.
Timeline
Nov. 12, 2026: First full-day Leader Quest session held in Elkhart.
January 2027: Second full-day Leader Quest session.
March 2027: Third full-day Leader Quest session.
Season Trajectory
Youth leadership programs that pair multi-session training with teacher-led follow-up have become a common model for building student leadership skills. Leader Quest follows this structure by spreading its three full-day sessions across several months.
Students from six Elkhart-area high schools are building leadership skills that they can apply at their own schools and in the wider Elkhart County community. Their continued work with Trail Guides between sessions gives them ongoing support as they put lessons into practice.
The takeaway
Leadership skills are built through repeated practice outside the classroom, and programs that combine structured sessions with ongoing mentorship help students apply what they learn at home and school.
What happens next
The second full-day Leader Quest session is scheduled for January 2027, and the third for March 2027.
Further reading
For more on local schooling, see Secondary Education coverage in Elkhart.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WSBT.
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