Adam Foss Lecture

Adam Foss’s lecture was one of the most interesting lectures I have heard before. He drew me in with his use of personal stories and being true and authentic about the work he has done. The fact that he was so honest about his childhood and how he got to where he is today made me recognize why he leader.

From listening to Adam Foss I learned that being a leader does not happen overnight and can happen on accident sometimes. He was very knowledgeable in his field and offered many facts that had a lasting impact and supported his argument well. Something he really highlighted was learning from your mistakes and that you learn from experience more than anything. You don’t become a leader by dreaming about changing the world your whole life, sometimes you are called to change an issue later in life, like Adam Foss. He went to Law School to make money and now he is trying to reform Americas’ justice system. He taught me that if you are passionate about something then you will do everything you can to make a change.

Adam Foss was very authentic and honest with us as he told his stories to us, which allowed me to understand the type of person he is and his thought process as he was going through certain situations. He made me realize that you don’t always believe in what you are doing and sometimes you think just like everyone else. During his story about Segundo he said, “I was doing the same thing as all the cops, prosecutors, and judges. I was stereotyping.” Adam showed that even the most intelligent and influential leaders are human and don’t always think “ethically” and aren’t always morally sound. His honestly made me respect him and his work even more because I felt that I knew him on a new level.

From Adam Foss I was able to take away that you can’t give up on something when you are scared or uncomfortable because eventually the fear will pay off. He works extremely hard for what he believes in and I hope to be that passionate about something one day.