Senior Essay 8

If someone would travel back in time to see me in elementary or middle school, I would have been the kid who never raised their hand in class to participate or been involved with any extracurriculars. Developing leadership skills has made a big impact on who I am today and how I approach situations in a mature manner as a young adult entering this huge world.
Leadership to me is being a role model for anyone I’m around. Leadership is stepping up to help someone in need that nobody else takes a glimpse at. Throughout my life, leadership has been significantly represented in many ways. From school to home, I’ve gotten the opportunity to show what it takes to be not only a leader, but a person who has grown into taking on that role from a shy background.
One of the main places I’ve shown leadership is school. School is a place where anyone can choose whether or not they want to lead, but I’ve decided to be one of those students to show what a leader is. I am my school’s National Honor Society president which is a huge honor. I was picked my sophomore year for not only showing my academic excellence and also being a reliable source for younger and older students that walk through those halls everyday. In the National Honor Society, I’ve helped my advisors plan quarterly community service events around my school and even help manage a reputation of what a good role model is.
Another way I’ve exhibited leadership in my school is in my kindergarten teachers aid class. Teacher aid showed me that even kindergartners need a little assistance along the way to not only succeed academically, but socially and emotionally. I help out my assigned class by showing the class new ways to express their feelings during hard times without being aggressive and giving them new opportunities to learn more effectively.
Another place I’ve shown leadership is at my job. I’ve been working at my job for 2 years, which isn’t common for teenagers my age, and I’ve opened up a door by being a role model to peers my age that it is possible to maintain a stable job even when things get rough. I showed leadership skills by stepping up and doing things that need to be done when nobody else wants to or whenever one of my colleagues needs help, I not only show them how to do something, but teach them different ways to accomplish something. Within one year of being at my job, I’ve got a promotion to the only crew lead of four total that is a teenager due to my dedication and leadership in my job at a young age.
I hope I can continue to show my leadership in the future by keeping up the good work helping my peers, being a role model to future generations who are going to be in the same position as me and even helping out people in need like the homeless even if it means using my last dollars. The thought of being a leader is doing things that not only benefit you, but making sacrifices to benefit others.