On April 30, 2006, nearly 15,000 students, civic leaders and protesters rallied in San Francisco for an end to the genocide in Darfur. Organized in part by the Stanford University chapter of Students Taking Action Now For Darfur (STAND), an anti-genocide student coalition, the participants banded together to make a strong appeal for increased U.S. intervention in the Darfur crisis.

A student-led effort
As a member of STAND and an organizer of the Day of Conscience for Darfur, Elissa Test, a student leader at Stanford, exercised the leadership skills she had developed through Kouzes and Posner's Student Leadership Practices Inventory. Through her work for the cause, Test:

• Modeled the way for her fellow students by making the Darfur crisis a key priority and acting upon her convictions
• Inspired a shared vision among her fellow students that led to their commitment to the cause and active involvement in the protest
• Challenged the process, or status quo, by generating a critical mass of participation that would pressure the U.S. government to respond to their calls for action
• Enabled concerned citizens to act by providing a space for them to join in a decisive move toward peace
• Encouraged the hearts of people who participated in the Day of Conscience by expressing appreciation for their dedication and championing their shared achievement

Leaders beget leaders
Test's leadership resulted in the successful mobilization of thousands of Darfur advocates that day. The Stanford chapter of STAND arrived en masse. Children, their parents, and even grandparents came, brandishing signs that cried for attention: "How can anyone who remembers the Holocaust remain silent?" "Protect the people of Darfur!" "Stop Screaming 'Never Again,' Start Saying 'Not Now.'" Prominent community leaders, too, rose up to advocate for a halt to the violence in Darfur. In the end, Test did more than lead the efforts of a single day. Rather, her efforts have inspired scores of other leaders - young and old, politician and constituent alike - to continued leadership against the atrocities in Darfur.

Student leader profile:
Name: Elissa Test
School: Stanford University
Home Town: Redwood City, California
Age when the story takes place: 20