CONCLAVE REVIEW LEAD KAPPA
PERSEVERANCE PREPARATION & PURPOSE BY DANIEL I. NIXON
M any define perseverance as the determination to press forward, to strive toward a goal no matter the obstacles that stand in the way. On Saturday, June 28, 2025, that definition was brought vividly to life by 59 under- graduate brothers who traveled to Phoenix, Arizona, for the 87th Grand Chapter Meeting of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Despite significant challenges—including flight delays and cancellations that disrupted travel for more than 25 brothers—these young men pressed on. They adjusted their itineraries, caught red-eye flights, and did whatever it took to arrive at the Sheraton Downtown Phoenix, bringing with them not fatigue, but a spirit of preparation, determination, and resolve. At the center of their purpose was Leadership Enhance- ment and Development for Kappas (LEAD Kappa), a transformative, highly competitive, week long experience that has become the benchmark for leadership development
in the fraternity. Held during conclave years, LEAD Kappa selects some of the best and brightest undergraduates to par- ticipate in an intensive program designed to sharpen skills and strategies for leadership—not only within Kappa Alpha Psi®, but also across college campuses, within communities, and ultimately, in the corridors of corporate America. A WELCOME ROOTED IN EXCELLENCE The program opened with greetings from four distinguished brothers who them- selves embody the pinnacle of undergraduate achievement: past recipients of the Guy L. Grant Award, the highest meritorious honor for an undergraduate in the fraternity. 51st Junior Grand Vice Polemarch and 33rd Guy L. Grant Awardee Jwyanza B. Watt, 57th Guy L. Grant Awardee Dr. Charles H.F. Davis, 58th Junior Grand Vice Polemarch and 70th Guy L. Grant Awardee Kristerpher J. Smith, and Past Grand Board Member and 98th Guy L. Grant Awardee Daniel I Nixon shared their journeys and charged
SUMMER 2025 ♦ THE JOURNAL 47
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