Leadership isn’t loud: It’s consistent. Just ask Caterina DiCosmo. 

At the Charlie Kirk vigil held on Oakland’s campus, Caterina DiCosmo took the stage to tell thousands of people what the life and death of the conservative activist meant to her.

Some would say this makes her a leader. 

But, about once a week you might run into Caterina DiCosmo in her element — sparking up conversations in the Oakland Center around a folding table with a tablecloth reading “Network of Enlightened Women” draped over it — or maybe you’ll see her grinding away on a spreadsheet to make sure that schedules run smoothly, running point for communication between Oakland and her parent organization, or booking a room for an event. 

This, she would say, is what makes her a leader.

DiCosmo, a junior in communication, is finding her way in leadership, but she’s already found that work behind the scenes is what makes things happen — including the vigil for Charlie Kirk held at OU.

Leadership was thrust upon DiCosmo when the founder of OU’s chapter of Network of Enlightened Women, or NeW, Erika Head, asked her and another young woman to take over together. DiCosmo was initially hesitant, but she eventually took the position under one condition: she was not the president.

So, she started as the vice president. 

“I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure,” DiCosmo said.

A month later, DiCosmo began to believe that she could do it. A month after that, she proved it by stepping into presidency at NeW.

DiCosmo characterized the organization by professional development and social events. Their aim is to “equip, educate and empower women,” she said. 

She now also serves as the treasurer for Oakland’s chapter of Turning Point USA and handles press relations for OU College Republicans. 

DiCosmo credits NeW for much of her growth as a leader. The organization has helped her with time management, making connections, communication and planning — but most importantly, it has given her a sense of direction. 

“NeW has really changed my life,” she said. “I came into it as an education major, and now I want to work in politics … I had this idea that I wanted to teach for the rest of my life, and that’s all I wanted to do. But the last two years I have been involved in politics, and I have loved every second of it.” 

The switch from education to politics has allowed DiCosmo to feel like she’s coming into her own as a leader.

Juliana Parry, the treasurer of NeW, couldn’t stop smiling as she spoke of what makes her tend to agree. 

“She’s a good leader because she’s honest,” the Oakland University senior said. “If she needs something, she’ll just ask. She’ll say what she wants to say regardless.”

Parry also repeatedly mentioned DiCosmo being a woman of her word, and her chattiness.

“She’ll have a conversation with anybody,” Parry said, “and she’s totally respectful of any viewpoint.”

Despite all the talk of DiCosmo’s character, the very first thing Parry brought up was her ability to manage a room. 

“She is so organized. She brings the excel files, everything — and she brings the energy,” she said. 

Her management was put to use after the shooting and death of Charlie Kirk, who DiCosmo looked up to and considered a role model of leadership. 

“When I heard about Charlie, I was sitting at home doing homework, and all the group chats I’m a part of were blowing up,” DiCosmo said. “I didn’t believe it. I didn’t want to believe it.”

When reality set in, DiCosmo sought to honor Kirk with a vigil. She decided there were no vigils close enough to home, so she planned to have one at Oakland University.

“I was thinking there would be 50 to 80 people,” DiCosmo said, laughing. 

“It was really important to her,” Parry said. “She didn’t care how big it was, she just wanted to honor the man.”

Perhaps this is what made the event successful — apparently a few others wanted to honor the man too. Word of the event traveled quickly around social media, and people from all over the political spectrum took notice. 

As the attention snowballed, so did the stress.

DiCosmo had planned a few big events before — but then she had weeks to plan, and this time she had days. 

“I’m not gonna sugarcoat it; it was very hard.” she said. “There were a lot of moments where I really questioned if we should do it.”

DiCosmo recounted worrying about everything from space to safety to having enough candles, but true leaders refuse to bow to logistics — they make things happen. So, she ultimately decided that she had to proceed, despite the stress that came with it. 

“As soon as we realized how much it had been shared, we made the decision to heighten security, and to take the steps to protect everybody.”

For her, it was the right thing to do. 

The decision resulted in the controversial presence of 100 uniformed officers as well as private security, gunmen on the nearby roofs and officers out of uniform. 

Well over 1,000 people attended the event. It proceeded as planned, with support from people coming in and out, and peaceful protests from those who felt the event overshadowed a larger scale issue of gun violence in the United States. 

“I honestly wasn’t really sure if I wanted to go to the vigil,” senior Rachel Stroia said, “but actually being there was super sweet.”

“I knew it would be powerful, I didn’t realize how emotional it would be,” she said. “But it was so emotional to see every inch of the sidewalk on campus packed with people who were showing support, in prayer together — I’m so glad we could do that without any problems.”

Stroia said she left the night feeling emboldened to be vocal — about her beliefs, yes, but also in general. 

“Open dialogue is absolutely necessary, even if it ends up stirring something up,” Stroia said, “we shouldn’t shy away from conversation just because we’re uncomfortable.”

At the vigil, DiCosmo challenged Generation Z to be the generation that rises above political violence and breaks the divisive cycle it’s been left with. 

DiCosmo considers the vigil a huge success. It happened, not because she wanted to get numbers, but because she wanted to be real. Because she wanted to do what she thought was right.

DiCosmo’s viewpoints are inherently controversial, as pretty much everything in politics is. Her leadership doesn’t have to be, though.

DiCosmo didn’t set out to lead a movement. She set out to book a room, print a flyer and make sure the candles didn’t run out — the small things. 

But somewhere between the spreadsheets and the speeches, she became the kind of leader people follow — not because she demands it, but because she put in the work.