Senior 37

     I believe that showing leadership is a very important role to have as a person. There are many different ways that I have shown leadership, whether it be through different school programs, or in general.

     My school has a program called IMAGINE. In this program, we give the special education class a chance to have fun parties so that they spend their holidays and school days well. I believe that this program is not only important, but also allows me to feel a sense of pride knowing that we are able to make the special education class feel included. Many schools have their own special Halloween, Christmas, and Valentines parties. Majority of the time, the special education class is excluded from events like that, which can be very upsetting for those students. This is why I believe that it is very important to help those kids feel included. I wanted to be a part of this program for that reason; I want those students to have the opportunity to experience the fun things as well. 

     I have taken part in many other leadership activities as well through my school. I am in a group called DECA, where I gained the position of the Vice President of Communications. My job was to keep track and inform my fellow members about the information told at meetings. When I am at school, I like to advocate for the important things. For example, when it was anti-bullying awareness, I wore the color orange, as well as told my peers about anti-bullying. Speaking up about important topics is something it takes to be a good leader.

     I believe that community service is a very big part of being a leader. I am in a program called Upward Bound. In this program, I’ve had many opportunities to give back to my community. Some things include cleaning up the trash from the Linwood YMCA, as well as creating care packages for the homeless at KC Scraps. Giving back to the community shows leadership in many ways, the biggest way being that you are doing something that isn’t only for yourself. You are doing something that is for the good of the community. 

     Even when I am not in school, I still think that giving back to the community is very important. Something that I feel very strongly about is littering. I do not like when people litter. This is why whenever I see trash on the floor and it is around me, I always pick it up and throw it away. When I see other people litter, I never let them walk away without throwing their trash away where it belongs. Littering is very bad for the Earth, so I try to do anything I can to keep our environment and my community clean.

     In the future, I hope to do more for my community. I want to be able to show people that being a leader can truly uplift a person and make them feel better about themselves. I want to advocate for all of the things that many are afraid to do. I want to take charge of something that is important to not only myself, but also my community around me.