ESSAY PROMPT: Please compose a 500-600 word essay that addresses each of the following questions: Reflecting on your participation in the 20/20 Leadership program, how have you grown as a leader? How will you use what you’ve learned in the future? What does “leaving a legacy” mean to you?

Alumni F1

Over the last two years, I gained tremendous knowledge, experience, and skill from participating in 20/20 Leadership. There were three profound experiences in the program that helped me to grow as a leader. These experiences included the 20/20 Olympics group project, attending program days in professional facilities, and RSVPing for events. As I experienced this growth, I developed many skills that I will use in the future.
The 20/20 Olympics most significantly impacted my leadership skills because each team member had an important role to play. Though I did not run point on the entirety of the project, I found my leadership role by advocating for my artistic abilities, which I believed would be useful to the team. I put myself in charge of graphics and the flyer design. As a leader, I held myself accountable for collecting all the information that needed to be on the flyer and handing it in on time. I also went one step further and started distributing information about donations for our project electronically because I knew it would more effectively reach my peers. A skill I learned from this was to take outside perspectives from people directly involved with a project. By asking students how our project (the hygiene station) would best be able to benefit, I found more hygiene products people needed access to that I had not thought of previously.
Similarly, attending our program days at other professional facilities helped me grow my leadership skills. At first, I was uncomfortable being surrounded by students from different schools. I was unsure how to stand out in a crowd of outstanding people. However, I soon realized that I gained more satisfaction from being recognized as an intelligent and dependable leader among an entire group of students who were considered leaders. I began to step up by always being attentive regardless of what others were doing. I asked questions that would let speakers know that I was actively engaged with the material, and articulated my responses in a manner that left everyone around me impressed with my ability to speak. Additionally, I did my best to include each and every person I was paired with in group discussions so that nobody felt excluded or went unheard. From this, I learned to always put my best foot forward, and not let competition deter me from trying to be a high-achieving individual.
Lastly, remembering to RSVP for events also helped me to grow as a leader. As a senior, academics and extracurricular activities can pile up and make it hard to remember to tend to some of the smaller tasks I have. With this in mind, I sometimes took on a leadership role within my friend group by sending reminders to RSVP for program days. I would not be truthful in saying that I always remembered to do so myself, but it helped me learn to hold myself accountable for managing my time and tasks. Time management is definitely a skill I will use in the future.
With all of these things in mind, I would say my Legacy in 20/20 Leadership was that I found the confidence to stand out among people who held themselves to some of the same standards as I did. This legacy is important to me because I’m able to remind myself of the assets I bring without comparisons or pressure from others.

 

 

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