Royals Essay 7

“Leadership is not about a title or a designation. It’s about impact, influence, and inspiration.”– Robin S. Sharma. My most important leadership experience in high school was being the captain of my color guard and winter guard teams. I have been the captain for 3 years now, and have worked with a plethora of people from unique backgrounds and skill levels. I take my team through our choreography, ensure we are all performing in synchrony, reinforce confidence and independence, remind them of their individual value and talent, console them through tough times and performances, and act as a stand-in when my coach is absent.
After my last performance this past Friday, the 20th, I have realized something. I have realized that I will never perform with this team again. I will have become a memory, a lingering pain of what was, no longer what it is. Yet, despite that, I can not help but feel an overwhelming feeling of happiness, gratitude, and pride. If I had one hundred chances to perform again in high school, despite all the other amazing teams I’ve witnessed at competitions, I would choose my team every time. I have learned how to become a better person through my people. I have learned how to navigate hardships faster, analyze others to see where our strengths and weaknesses are, portray leadership and set a good example to my peers, and to get back up in the face of challenges. I have learned what it is like to be with a group of people who love you, who look up to you, and want to follow in the footsteps you have created. I have learned that I am nothing without my people, and that leadership is not motivated by the top, but fostered at the bottom. When I had a vision, an opinion, or a goal, I always made it clear and reminded them that anything was achievable through hard work. They always took an effort to see it through and were able to take criticism like no other. I was decently strict, but held high expectations, and they always thanked me for it. At the end of each great performance, there was always a realization that my constant drilling and encouragement shaped them to be awesome performers. That it paid off, and to trust me with the instructions I was giving them. They knew that everything I said was said with intention, with their best interest, and every piece of feedback that they worked on showed tremendously during our presentation.
Being an example comes with many responsibilities, all of which I choose to pioneer with excellence so that the others around me will be strong when I am gone. I would constantly tease the only junior member on my team that he would have to take my position, and looking back on it, I notice that I only did so because I wanted someone who could hold everyone accountable and was easily approachable to take my place. That person, Hattori, was someone whom I am blessed to have witnessed his upbringing. From his confusion and questions to seeing the few times where others would ask him how to do something, I am thankful to know that he is a perfect fit. I am relieved to know that the legacy I leave behind will be perpetuated by someone I trust. To see someone who used to ask me questions having questions asked of him solidifies the blood, sweat, and tears I have committed to raising leaders. That I truly did affect and change someone for the better. This inspires me to become a headstrong leader in my career and future education. I know very well I’ll be the rookie for a while, but in no time, I will be a leader who inspires others to work hard for what they love.
When I imagine the things I’ll be doing in my secondary education, I can imagine myself, a leader, lighting the path for those who struggle, doubt themselves, and don’t know where to start. I’ve seen every dark pit, every daunting cliffside, and the suffocating grip of self-doubt, procrastination, fear, and anxiety. I know what it feels like to be the odd one out, the one who didn’t understand the question asked when everyone else did, what it felt like being in a room of advanced people, but still doubting that I deserved to be there. And while being the captain of my team, I have seen members of my team struggle with confidence as well. I see a little bit of me in all of my people. Therefore, I know it is important to hold myself to a high standard and change the world. I know how important it was for me when I was a beginner in color guard, in choir, in band, in 20/20 leadership, and in all my clubs to have someone who truly believed in me. I am so extremely proud to say that I have become the leader I once looked up to and wished with all my heart that I could become. I promise with every bone in my body that I will be the one to step onto dark trails and light the path that will guide others. It has encouraged me to further my education and knock down impossible walls. I will forever miss a “Ruby, can you show me how to do this?” But I know that those soft-spoken hearts yearning for a chance will be the same hearts I touch when I go off to college.

This essay has certainly sparked some tears, so even if I don’t get it, I am absolutely thankful that it has allowed me to reflect on my life until now.

Thank you.