Leadership in Practice: When McDonough Students Become the Teachers

At Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business, students not only learn the foundations of leadership education but also put these practices into action through community service. Undergraduate students in the course Leading People and Teams learn and practice principled leadership through real-world, community-engaged learning.

Taught by Associate Professor Rachel Pacheco, the course integrates experiential learning through role-playing, group exercises, and simulations that mirror the complexities of leading in real organizations. Over the semester, students develop practical management skills while reflecting on their own leadership values and responsibilities.

For the final project, Pacheco designed an assignment that pushed students beyond the classroom and into the community: teaching leadership concepts to eighth-grade students at Hardy Middle School in Northwest D.C.

“Given the increased use of AI in the classroom and for assignments, I wanted to create a final course project that was highly experiential, got students outside of their comfort zone, and simulated a real-life leadership challenge,” said Pacheco. “Preparing and then teaching a concept to a classroom of unpredictable eighth graders did all of those things.” 

Through this experience, McDonough students refined their leadership skills and honed in on what they learned throughout the semester, while the middle school students gained valuable experience from their older peers. 

“It was definitely impactful for the children, but also for us,” said Noah Toole (B’26). “We took away the lessons and strategies from the topics we were covering, and the students learned from their neighborhood college kids.”

Through this experience, Pacheco’s students gained hands-on experience that helped them refine their leadership skills. Students presented to the middle school class on topics such as group dynamics, persuasion, and decision-making.

“It was a cool experience applying everything we learned,” said Atticus Andersson (B’26). “I wouldn’t have gotten that out of sitting in a Georgetown classroom alone.” 

Other students, like Andrea Khoury (B’26), echoed how this experience helped them gain a better grasp of the material they learned throughout the semester.

“You don’t know how well you understand something until you have to teach it,” said Khoury.

Through this course, Georgetown McDonough students had the opportunity to give back to their community and inspire the next generation of leaders and scholars. 

“What was most impactful was allowing the children to see themselves in the future by looking at us teaching them,” said Toole.