Senior Leadership Scholarship Essay 12

Leadership is defined as the act or an instance of leading, (merriam-webster.com, 2025). Anyone can become a leader. Do we look at leadership in a way that limits leaders to only high-profile titles? What if we look at leadership as a quality found anywhere; in classrooms, in sports, and even in friend groups? Leadership as defined allows anyone to perform the act of leading in multiple ways. I have demonstrated leadership through support at my church and by my ongoing dedication to helping others; from offering a helping hand at a food kitchen to assisting teammates with particular skills, and to providing advice to younger athletes.

These questions make me think about helping others. Helping others can be referred to as something as small as holding the door for someone to walk through or even complimenting someone such as “I love your outfit today”. People live differently every day. One day they could be the happiest person in the world and the next they might be the saddest person. That one kind gesture could lift their day and turn that frown upside down. Maybe you think another’s happiness is enough or they don’t need anything else. Have you ever told yourself, that today was too good of a day and I wish today was just a little worse? I sure have not. Kind deeds build morale, there is no such thing as too much kindness.

Helping others is very contagious. When someone helps me out, I tend to want to repay the favor and go off to share my gratitude with others. There are a few ways that I have shown leadership through acts of kindness. For example, I am a leader on my baseball team, I help teammates learn tricks and techniques they might not know. Also, I have volunteered for my local church’s food pantry and the church’s children’s worship service for kids 5-10 years old. Helping others has grown on me over the years and is a big part of my life. I love to see people happy and wanting to do better in the world.
Happiness will always be better than feeling discouraged, help someone, make their day. Throughout my life, I have benefited from having multiple opportunities and experiences. Since I was young I’ve had the opportunity to participate in multiple sports and other activities. I do understand that those opportunities are not just provided to me it’s been hard work, dedication, and the belief and dedication of others. There are a lot of people who have not had the same opportunities I have in playing with a variety of people and in a variety of places. I have learned the importance of belonging, listening, and participating.

I have found it important to continue to learn and grow beyond the fields, beyond the game. My goal is to complete school and to continue to use what I have learned to help others. I want to be able to provide others with similar opportunities; including supporting youth groups, and providing lessons and/or information: including leadership, sports knowledge, and skill development. Participating in school activities has helped me learn the importance of helping others by teaching me to interact with others respectfully, learn from others, and to want to treat others how I would want myself and my family to be treated.