KC Royals Charities Scholarship Essay

One of my most important leadership experiences came from being a part of 20/20 Leadership. The program itself is based on leadership, but being a part of such a great community will help you become a person you never thought you’d be. While being in a group with girls who I had a falling out with at the time, it took major leadership skills from myself to see past all of our differences. I had to take charge and make sure my and everybody’s feelings were validated at all times. Besides that, it took our group a little longer to come up with a project for the 20/20 Olympics in April that would benefit our school and our community of Bonner Springs. We didn’t just want to, but we needed to find something perfect for our school that everyone would continue to use. We finally came together and agreed on our outdoor learning space on our old high schools smoking patio. We presented our idea at the 20/20 Olympics in front of all the Kansas schools, Missouri schools, and all the board members as part of 20/20 Leadership. For myself, speaking to people is never an issue, but the second I got on stage, I felt a sinking feeling in my chest. All my anxiety and fear rose inside of me. It took me a minute, but I pulled myself together to be able to do this for my team. Overcoming this feeling made me feel like I was on top of the world. I felt like a true leader. After the Olympics, in May we found out we won the $500 Networking Award! This was such a big deal to my team and me and we were so proud of each other. It took a lot of time, effort, and responsibility, but I am glad I could hold my team together and get it done! Over the summer, my team and I met with JE Dunn, HTK Architects, and the Fire Chief of Bonner Springs to ensure that we could go through with this project! While meeting with the architects, they helped us get a floor plan, and what type of outdoor furniture to use, and helped brighten our idea! We decided to name our project the Braves Innovation Oasis. After this meeting, I decided to take the time to get the final cost of all of our furniture. I had to take the time to individually add up everything we needed to make sure it would be fun, but kids would still be able to concentrate. Our cost came out to be a little more than we expected. Our team decided to run some fundraisers that needed to be run by our athletic director. We now have some ideas coming up in the spring that will help us reach our financial goal! Ultimately, I am very grateful I had the opportunity to join 20/20 Leadership and learn new skills. I never thought that leadership had to be taught, but now I have a whole new understanding! Through this experience with 20/20 Leadership, I learned anyone could overcome anything, even with leadership skills. Not all leaders are perfect, and I believe that I showed a good example of that. Anxiety is a disorder that can be difficult to overcome. Overcoming this made me a better person and I feel I shine so much brighter in the world! I also give props to anyone who has overcome the same thing I did because it’s never easy. Additionally, I learned for myself that I can work with anybody! No matter the circumstances, a leader should always be available and be able to adapt to any work environment. I have always known what I wanted to do as a career, but sometimes I get better ideas and wanna change my future. From this experience, I now know to pursue my dream as a lawyer. To further my education, I will still be attending Central Methodist University to continue my education and my athletic career in softball. I have a plan to major in Criminal Justice and minor in Business and Marine Biology. After I graduate college, I plan on attending Washburn University for Law School. I am thrilled to be able to use my leadership skills in the classroom next fall. While majoring in criminal justice, there is a lot of teamwork involved. I get to work with a new group of people and I will need to adapt to their preferred learning style. My goal is to make everyone feel welcomed by me and trust me as a leader! Even in law school, you have to learn to take the lead. For me, I want to become a defense attorney. Being able to take the lead in front of a judge and the courtroom is a skill every lawyer needs. I am excited to use my learned skills in the courtroom as well.