Every Leader Was Once the New Kid: From Being Welcomed to Welcoming Others
Every student who walks through our doors begins in the same place: unsure, curious, and hoping they belong. The goal isn't to stay the new kid. It's to become the one who helps welcome the next one.
One of the core principles of The Creative Innovator Method™ is simple:
Responsibility is learned through responsibility.
You can't teach leadership by talking about it. You have to give young people meaningful opportunities to practice it.
That's exactly what happened with Emma and Rory.
Carrying their own supplies into practice
Emma Grew Up Watching
Long before Emma Zayas ever joined a Creative Innovators Project team, she was already learning.
As the younger sibling of an Odyssey of the Mind participant, she spent years sitting quietly on the sidelines because she was too young to compete. We didn't have a Primary team yet, so while the older students built, brainstormed, and rehearsed, Emma watched.
Her mom, Nancy, would often create simplified versions of our challenges so Emma could experiment on her own while she waited.
At first, it was simply a way to keep a curious little girl busy.
Looking back, it became something much bigger.
Emma working the recruiting booth first CIP event December 2024
Emma listened to coaching conversations. She watched teams solve problems. She observed how students encouraged one another, worked through disagreements, and celebrated breakthroughs. She asked thoughtful questions. She tried things herself.
Along the way, Emma learned one of the hardest lessons in teamwork:
"It's okay that your ideas will not always be chosen, and how to work together as a team and communicate with each other effectively."
Without realizing it, she was already becoming part of our culture.
When she was finally old enough to join our Primary team at Creative Innovators Project, none of us were surprised.
Emma had dreamed about that moment for years.
"Odyssey has been in my life for a pretty long time. I was about five years old when I first came to a practice... I would always ask my mom, 'When can I join?!'"
She stepped naturally into leadership.
Emma working with her Primary team
Not because someone told her to.
Because she had spent years learning what leadership looked like.
Like many children, Emma wasn't completely confident walking through the door for the first time.
"Being on my own team was exciting, but I was scared I wasn't going to make any friends. But both teams became my friends."
Today, when asked how she would greet a new student, Emma didn't hesitate.
"I'd walk up to them, introduce myself, show them around the clubhouse, and introduce them to coaches and teammates. I want them to feel happy and comfortable and make new friends."
Emma rehearsing Primary Problem Spring 2025
Looking back, Emma says it didn't take long before those fears disappeared.
"It felt like home almost right away—about the second practice that I went to."
Then Came Rory
One of the first students Emma welcomed was her friend, Rory.
Rory remembers exactly who made the difference.
"Emma made me feel welcome when I started CIP. She helped me and said I could do anything."
Rory joined Creative Innovators Project alongside her mom, Devon, who now serves as one of our Division I coaches.
Not long after joining, Rory found herself volunteering at one of our earliest fundraisers—a Valentine's Day photo event.
Devon warned us that Rory was shy.
Fortunately, Rory already knew Lauren, one of our Division III students and Student Board Members. (You can read Lauren's story of advocacy here.)
Lauren took Rory under her wing.
Lauren & Rory at CIP Valentine’s Day Fundraiser
Emma welcomed her in.
Rory still remembers that first impression.
"Emma made me feel welcome when I started CIP. She helped me and said I could do anything."
Rory & Emma at CIP Valentine’s Day Shoot Fundraiser
Together, they quietly showed her what belonging looked like.
Before long, Rory was greeting customers, helping sell cupcakes, and confidently sharing why Creative Innovators Project mattered.
Rory working at CIP Valentine’s Day Photo Shoot Fundraiser
What was supposed to be a short volunteer shift turned into something much more meaningful.
Over the months that followed, I watched Rory continue to grow.
Along the way, she discovered confidence she didn't know she had.
"A year ago I didn't know what improvising was. I learned that if I forgot my lines or something broke, I knew I could keep going."
She refined her fundraising pitch.
She greeted new families with a smile.
Today, when asked what she'd tell a new student, Rory smiled. She hopes every new student hears the same encouragement she once received.
"You got this. You are brave."
Rory is a friend to everyone at CIP and never runs out of hugs
She reached for the door before anyone else could.
She instinctively noticed the student standing alone and walked over to introduce herself.
Those aren't skills you memorize.
They're habits you develop through practice.
Representing CIP at Lake Pleasant Elem Trunk-or-Treat, working the event
Growing Into Responsibility
This is why we intentionally give students real responsibility.
Not after they're "ready."
So they can become ready.
Emma and Rory are entering fourth and fifth grade.
Rory's energetic leadership and encouraging spirit are something her teammates have come to count on.
Many organizations would tell children that age to wait until they're older before taking on leadership.
We believe something different.
Emma has learned to trust her own capabilities and lead with quiet confidence
When children are trusted with meaningful responsibility, supported by caring mentors, and surrounded by positive role models, they often rise far beyond our expectations.
Today, when asked how she would welcome a new student, Emma answered without hesitation.
"I'd walk up to them, introduce myself, show them around the clubhouse, then introduce them to coaches and teammates. I want them to feel happy and comfortable and make new friends."
Rory already knows the kind of encouragement she wants every new student to hear.
"I'd want everyone to know it will be hard sometimes, but you can solve problems no matter what. The coaches are always there to help."
That's why Emma and Rory will become our very first Creative Innovators Project Student Ambassadors.
Their job won't simply be to welcome new families.
They'll help new students feel like they belong.
Emma hopes every new student leaves with one feeling:
"That it's a fun place to be... that they'll never want to leave and they'll become part of a new family."
They'll model kindness.
They'll answer questions.
They'll help younger innovators find the confidence to participate.
And, knowing Creative Innovators Project...
...even our mascot has a role to play.
Emma & Theodore Jaxson CIP’s newest mascot
More Than a Title
At Creative Innovators Project, leadership isn't reserved for the oldest students.
It's something we intentionally cultivate at every age.
Rory is especially excited about one part of her new role.
"I'm most excited about getting to take care of Teddy and helping new kids."
Our Student Ambassador Program is just one example of how we help students practice communication, empathy, initiative, responsibility, and service—skills that matter far beyond competitions.
Because someday these students won't simply participate in their communities.
They'll help shape them.
And it all starts with one opportunity to welcome someone else.
What’s Rory looking to help new students with?
"I would want them to feel excited and look forward to coming back."
Emma once wondered if she would belong.
Rory once needed someone to tell her, "You can do anything."
This fall, another child will walk through our doors for the very first time.
They won't know it yet, but one of the first people they'll meet will be Emma or Rory.
Years ago, someone did the same for them.
That's how leadership grows at Creative Innovators Project.
Every leader was once the new kid.
