The purpose of the Trailhead Academies is to bring together an interesting, talented,and motivated group of incoming first-year students and introduce them to
1. Each other
2. Appalachian
3. A model of contribution and service.

Trailhead is based on this idea: the most important quality a leader needs is the ability to see the world through the eyes of others. This requires self-evaluation, reflection, and openness to other points of view. At Trailhead, we discuss this simple but critical idea and its components: empathy, humility, reflection, flexible reframing, and engagement with each other. We introduce ideas that might be uncomfortable at first, but will eventually become the foundation for students who want to contribute to the lives of others and the quality of their communities. We ask participants to be honest, open, patient, and courageous. We ask those students who talk a lot to be quiet, and we ask quiet students to speak. We have lots of fun and we're sometimes very serious.

We believe that students who want to contribute should be intentional about how and how much they will contribute, and should make a thoughtful commitment to participate in the ASU community. We believe this is the way we leave our legacy.

Academy attendees will be encouraged to apply their new knowledge in the clubs and organizations at Appalachian State and with other service based organizations. Links to many of these organizations are listed on the links page.