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Executive Director, Kobu Foundation听

Letting go can be hard to do. Grace Vaughn knows all about it.听

Grace started volunteering with the 鈥攁 food donation and distribution nonprofit created by Leeds alumni during the pandemic鈥攁s a sophomore, and when its founders graduated, they handed things off to her.听

While she wasn鈥檛 exactly creating a business from scratch, Grace had to figure out how to turn an all-volunteer charity designed to operate amid lockdown into something that was a substantial part of the community鈥攆ood donations, yes, but also other kinds of help, like newsletters containing resources, to help people feel seen and supported.听

And now, as she prepares to graduate, she has to hand Kobu off to the next generation鈥攊deally, someone who can grow it beyond Leeds and the Diverse Scholars Program, which has provided a strong set of regular volunteers. For her, passing that baton is the ultimate lesson in leadership.听

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 realize how much of a doer I have become through Kobu,鈥� Grace said. 鈥淎s much as I鈥檝e had the freedom to take initiative and make things happen, I鈥檝e had to provide a lot of structure and motivation for our executive team and volunteers鈥攎ost of whom haven鈥檛 been in this kind of startup environment, including myself. It鈥檚 been interesting learning that, as a leader, it鈥檚 not always about the big ideas, but how the little things get done.鈥澨�

The opportunity to be a leader was an important consideration for Grace as she made the adjustment to college life. She chose Leeds in part for the mentorship programs it offered, including the Peer2Peer program that matches first-years with older students to help them get the most out of their Leeds experiences. Through Peer2Peer, Grace made a lifelong friend; the two of them will be relocating to New York to pursue work after graduation.听

Mentorship matters

鈥淢entorship at Leeds really has lived up to my expectations,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen I would talk to my other friends at other schools, they wouldn鈥檛 even have something as simple as a four-year plan, whereas I had the next three years lined up. It played a big role in deciding to graduate a year early and making sure I was on track.鈥�

Knowing what鈥檚 coming down the road has helped Grace be comfortable spending a lot of her time volunteering, with Kobu and SWAP鈥攖he Student-Worker Alliance Program鈥攚hich pairs students with campus employees seeking assistance in mastering English.听

鈥淧art of this whole new business world is bringing empathy and compassion back into organizations鈥攁nd volunteering is an important part of that,鈥� Grace said. 鈥淪o much of charity work today is funneling money to a place you鈥檒l never see. The tangible impact of volunteering, of seeing the good you鈥檙e contributing to your community, is important for any business student. Doing that really hands-on work has a much bigger impact than just hitting a donate button online.鈥澨�

Creating impact

It鈥檚 probably no surprise that when it comes to her career, Grace is less interested in a particular industry and more keen on finding ways to make an impact on people.听

鈥淭he most important impact you can have is within the 30, 60, 100 people around you,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 want to find ways to change business within one company鈥攚ithin one floor of one company鈥攖hrough caring about people.鈥澨�

As she figures out exactly what that looks like, she鈥檒l lean on experiences from Leeds鈥攅specially from her mentor and professors, who challenged her to find her voice and stand up for herself and others鈥攖o find the best way to create meaningful impact in business.听

鈥淲hen I was a kid, and people would ask me what I wanted to go when I grew up, my goal was always to be a good boss, a good manager, and Kobu was my first real opportunity to do that,鈥� Grace said. 鈥淪o it wasn鈥檛 just about growing the team, but about making sure volunteers are prioritized, that the community feels valued, and that we establish Kobu as a real, visible presence in the community.鈥�

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