Leadership development has been just as transformative as technical coursework for Jacob McCoy, an electrical engineering senior.

McCoy, from Stroud, Oklahoma, is the student director for the President’s Leadership Council through the Hargis Leadership Institute, a role he first took on as a high school senior.

After attending a session of The Leadership Experience, a two-day conference hosted by PLC for high school juniors and seniors, he learned the basics of crowdfunding in small communities.

He returned to Stroud and, that same week, started an annual donation drive to provide clothes and Christmas gifts for impoverished children in his community.

“I realized then that if I wanted to continue to develop the skills necessary to give back to my community, then attending OSU and joining PLC would be the best avenue I could take,” McCoy said.

PLC provides a scholarship to incoming freshmen who take a leadership course and are encouraged to get involved with organizations and charitable efforts in the Stillwater community.

During the course, McCoy was mentored by Ashley Holland, an electrical engineering major who was one of the PLC facilitators. This mentorship led to McCoy becoming a facilitator, then the director of Experience for TLX, and finally the student director of PLC.

He was able to tailor these learned leadership qualities into his success as a CEAT student, leading group projects and hosting collaborative study groups to help navigate the rigorous academic schedule. He has also taken the example set by Holland and paid that effort forward.

“Because of my experience, I have also been able to provide guidance and career advice to fellow CEAT students, helping many obtain internships and full-time job offers,” McCoy said.

McCoy has noticed CEAT students carrying themselves with more confidence in their engineering coursework. He has also been proud to see them take their newfound confidence and accept leadership roles within the OSU student community.

“They learn how to leverage some of the leadership we’ve taught in class, through roles like CEAT Student Council, CEAT Scholars or with other organizations,” McCoy said. “So, we get to see them lean into that in PLC, and it spreads into other things they are involved in.”

McCoy said he is at times slower to grasp the technical rigor of his coursework, but through PLC, he developed skills that help him bridge the communication gap between engineers.

“I am of the belief that there are not enough outspoken leaders in the engineering world, or at least those that can understand the technical concepts in math and science and be able to communicate them to those without the same background,” McCoy said. “Through some of the programs offered in HLI, I have grown to become more outspoken, and through that confidence, it has allowed me to ask deeper questions and communicate with my peers on a level that allows me to learn more efficiently.”

McCoy will enroll at the University of Illinois-Champaign this summer to earn his master’s degree in energy systems with a focus on nuclear power systems. He also has a goal of earning his MBA, setting him up to work as a project director overseeing the expansion of small modular reactors nationwide to address the growing need for clean energy.

“I have experienced significant growth in not just my ability to lead, but my capacity to learn new concepts and communicate them to others, build and sustain impactful relationships, skills in organization and event planning and a new approach to advocating for others, which have all been exponentially improved,” McCoy said. “My career goals now have a much clearer path, and I’ve been given the tools and confidence to achieve them.”

Helping others pay it forward 

Conner Murray is a sophomore mechanical engineering major from Tecumseh, Oklahoma, who has served as the student director of small groups for TLX. In this role, he trains the leaders of small PLC student groups.

It’s a role that has challenged him while also reminding him of the impact he can have as a leader. He helped organize TLX, which is entirely student-led, alongside other TLX student directors and McCoy. Their team trained 80 volunteers and hosted 140 students in fall 2025.

Working with PLC leadership taught him what is possible when a team unites around a common goal. He said that whether teaching students leadership skills, designing a competition robot or volunteering, he leads with passion.

"As an engineering student, I’ve found that teams can only succeed to the level that they care. I truly believe that the best engineers are impact-focused,” Murray said. “Great designs are more than just drawings, schematics or programs; they are problems that are intentionally solved, and lives changed.”

Working alongside McCoy has helped Murray professionally and personally. He said McCoy’s advice is often sought on the effectiveness of leadership content or on handling unforeseen issues.

“On a personal level, I’ve sought Jacob’s advice for everything from managing the workload that comes with engineering to navigating the job-search process,” Murray said. “Jacob balances a lot academically, but it’s the way that he shows up beyond the academics that I’ve learned the most from.”

For CEAT students, organizations like PLC complement the demanding coursework by providing communication and collaboration skills essential to engineers. As leaders like McCoy graduate and students like Murray take the baton, PLC will continue to equip students with skills that go hand in hand with engineering success.