Every Columbia College student’s journey toward leadership is unique and builds on their personal experiences and dreams. Read about how the 4Cs of leadership are interpreted by a diverse group of young women, a new generation of leaders who are already making a positive difference.

Zarah’s Story

At Belton-Honea Path High School, Zarah Setro was voted Most Athletic and Female Athlete of the Year. She played a sport every season; she won all-conference and all-region Most Valuable Player awards, mainly in volleyball and soccer. She was celebrated as homecoming queen and a senior favorite and, by teachers, as outstanding senior. But likely, the opportunity that most influenced what was to come occurred outside sports: Setro attended Palmetto Girls State between her junior and senior year, and that annual session was held at Columbia College.

Setro, born in 1986, spent 12 years in Honea Path after living in seven states in nine years, thanks to a stepfather in the military. When her stepfather retired from the Navy, he returned to family in South Carolina, and Setro attended Honea Path Middle School and Belton-Honea Path High School. “When I came to Girls State, we stayed at Columbia College for a week, and a couple of the speakers were graduates of Columbia College. After that, they sent me a letter encouraging me to look at their volleyball team. I never thought I’d go to an all-women’s college, but my mama said, ‘If you don’t like it, just stay one year.’”

Quickly, Setro realized a smaller college suited her well. “I’m a student who needs one-on-one attention. I couldn’t be at a big school. Here, the student-teacher ratio is 12 to 1, so I was able to understand things better, to do group work. I made a lot of friends. I’ve gotten to know professors on a personal level.” While Setro entered Columbia College on an athletic scholarship, her opportunity to be a student admissions counselor – calling and meeting with prospective students, giving tours – “taught me about my interests.” Her sophomore year she became “the face” of Columbia College. Setro was interviewed, photographed, and “the next thing I knew, my face was popping up on the website. Things I said were used on postcards, my face on one side, the write-up on the other, sent to thousands of students. It was a real honor and made my parents proud. It’s a way I can help other people.”           

Her senior year Setro completed an internship at WIS-TV, working on the morning segment “Live with Lucas,” which required rising at 3 a.m. each Friday. She was rewarded with adventures, such as seeing the Monster Jam or the Freestyle Motor Cross, and the knowledge that TV reporting wasn’t her career choice after all. “I thought it was all smiles. Now, I’m not so sure. They don’t get paid much. They have no life whatsoever.”

Setro also participated during her senior year in the Leadership Semester, a semester-long course focused on leadership development, and wrote a Leaderscript, a self-reflective record of her leadership development. She worked on a YouTube video and assisted in an Earth Day tree planting that memorializes the current four classes. “In sports I learned that on the court or on the field, you’re trying your hardest. You encourage other people. If you mess up, you keep working at it. You stay motivated. This semester was a lot of work. So many people were counting on me or depending on me, just like on an athletic field. I learned you might get down or frustrated, but you have to continue to encourage each other. You won’t be great at everything, but you stay confident in yourself. You have faith in each other and how you perform as a team and, if you perform to the best of your ability, you get a great result. My mom told me, ‘I thought you were a go-getter from the start, but I see your confidence level has grown. You’re courageous now. You’ve gained so much experience.’ I agree with her. This has brought out the best in me.”

Setro counts off the 4 C’s on one hand, then explains what they have come to mean to her during this trial by fire: “When I heard the word ‘leadership’ I thought it meant a higher position, being above other people. Now I understand it’s not the position you hold, it’s how you do your job. It took me a lot to understand ‘confidence’ does not mean ‘cocky.’ ‘Confidence’ is taking pride in what you are, who you’re becoming. It’s not being arrogant or boastful. It’s you being you. That intertwines with courage. Coming to college takes courage; you leave your family and friends and find yourself. It’s the same with leadership; you take steps toward opportunity, and that’s courageous. Commitment is part of it, too, sticking to what you learn, what you already said you’re going to do, making sure you get it done. But the biggest thing for me is confidence. It’s not arrogance; it’s not boasting. It’s you giving your best, your all, and people seeing that.”