Coaches’ Corner: Gina Hayes

How long have you been a GLSLP coach? 3 years.

What inspired you to become a GLSLP coach? My life’s purpose is inspiring positive change in youth. When I found out about GLSLP and their impact on youth, it was a no brainer that I wanted to be a part of this program. Being a coach gives me an opportunity to influence lives across rural North Carolina. I also get to see the results of my impact which does not happen often in my current profession.

What learning objective or activity utilized at conferences (i.e. DAC, Values Explorer, etc.) do you think is most beneficial to the scholars?
I believe scholars figuring out their top five values [Values Explorer] is most beneficial. They inherently think of themselves first, so figuring out their values helps them begin a conversation of how to align everything they do based on these values.

What is something you may have learned at conferences that has been particularly useful in your day-to-day life? Working with the scholars and learning their behaviors and weaknesses has been particularly useful for me. I work with high school students on a daily basis. Understanding what some of these college students lack (which mostly pertains to social and emotional learning) helps me know what I need to focus on with my high school students to better prepare them for their post-secondary plans.

Where do you hope to see the scholars in your coaching group five years from now? I hope to see all of my scholars graduate from college and pursue the next steps they have created throughout the program. I also hope after four years of interning in their rural communities that they find a way to continue to invest in them after graduating college. I know that some scholars may want to explore areas outside of their current community, but I hope they will always view their current county as “home” and find a way to invest their time, talents, and/or money