iLEAD V Day Three: Personality, Celebration, and Behind-the-Scenes Tours

by Rachel Chaney, program associate-health - August 21, 2025

On day three of our first in-person iLead seminar, we began at the state office of the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, continuing our exploration of self-awareness and different perspectives. Dr. Carrie Stark led our group through the Real Colors Personality Assessment. We participated in a paper folding activity and a “Would You Rather” game to break the ice and explore how everyone has a unique perspective. The game sparked engaging discussions about choices like flying versus breathing underwater, dressing up versus being casual, and surviving a vampire, werewolf, or zombie apocalypse scenario.

Next, we discovered our primary and secondary personality colors through the assessment. Although Blue–Connectors made up most of our group, all colors were represented: Green–Thinkers, Orange–Movers, and Gold–Planners. Each group brainstormed their strengths, values, joys, and needs and created a poster to share their insights. We learned that how a personality expresses itself may not always be perceived the same way by others and that secondary colors can influence behavior. Understanding everyone’s personality will help us work more effectively as a team.

We then traveled to the University of Arkansas System Office in Little Rock, where we toured the office and learned about who all is housed there. During a potato bar lunch, we watched the iLEAD Cohort IV graduation. Each graduate shared a presentation about their project, and it was inspiring to see the creativity and collaboration in their work. Projects included educating high school students about food science, creating resource folders for Agriculture agents, and conducting greenhouse educational sessions. Each project reflected innovation, dedication and impact. They motivated us to consider our own projects as iLEAD Cohort V.

After lunch, we returned to the state office for a tour led by Rebecca Simon. We then wrapped up the session with a debrief of the past three days, reflecting on our experiences, discussing professional goals, and placing them in sealed envelopes to open at our final session. The past three days have shown us that this program is not only educational but also rewarding and fun. We look forward to what the rest of iLEAD has in store.