Alumni Essay 51

Youth Lead KC has inspired and empowered me to become a leader through what the organization stands for. The various speakers I have listened to, giving us advice and knowledge, have inspired me to improve. My Junior year, I felt intimidated and lost at how to grow and at the time 2020 Leadership very clearly pushed for us to be leaders impacting my values. Attending our meeting days to me feels like taking a mint or taking a breath of fresh air; it feels like finding the help to take control of my life and decisions. YouthLead is an opportunity to reflect on my current present, what it reflects of me, and inspires me to find how I can become the person I want to be. Being surrounded by so many strong leaders in Youth Lead pushes me to be a leader myself—it ignites this desire to transcend what can feel like my limits. This program empowered me to take a step in the right direction through leadership positions in my schools Link Crew, Dance Team, and NHS. Stepping into those leadership roles I felt great satisfaction in myself. Through every leadership opportunity since then I have learned a lot about how vital communication in our teams are, how motivation is key to achieving our goals, and how essential organization is. With every experience leading I have grown; I have grown to understand that a strong leader empowers their team. A leader must be able to properly communicate with their team and the strength of their communication skills can completely change the make of a group. Since I started my first leadership position there are so many important pieces of advice I learned and would give to others. One being during difficult times everyone will look to you for advice, staying level headed and in a mindset to solve and not let your team lose motivation or positivity is essential. Stay calm and reassure your team while moving to solve the situation. 

I aim to become an airline pilot and I will encounter various situations that will call for me to lead; my knowledge built from my multiple extracurriculars and Youth Lead have set a foundation for me to follow during my future experiences. Ultimately, I aim to become a Captain Airline Pilot meaning I will be the person my crew will turn to in conflicts. As mentioned before, staying level headed, reassuring my crew, and moving to resolve situations quickly will serve as fundamentals in my work as a leader during certain circumstances. With time passing, I will continue strengthening my skills as a leader but will continue to carry the important things that have worked for me and my teams. 

For me, leaving a legacy means positively impacting others—for my work or abilities to inspire or help people. As mentioned, it’s important for me to reflect on my actions, what type of person I reflect through my present, and then continuing towards becoming someone I am proud of. I believe part of leaving a legacy is choosing to do something that paints a picture of who you are. For example for me this could be teaching and advising student pilots, reflecting on my care and my commitment to growth and learning. My legacy would be leaving a strong positive impact on my student pilots who would then continue to grow with my guidance. Ultimately, I know who I am and I will leave a legacy that will leave a lasting positive impact on someone—just as others have done for me.