Alumni F24

“You can achieve anything you set your mind to! We believe in you!” These words cemented a special, memorable bond with the 20/20 Leadership program. After applying, the staff warmly welcomed me into the curriculum with positive affirmations. I can confidently say my experiences from participating in 20/20 Leadership were the best part of my senior year. I will forever be grateful and cherish the moments created with friends and the Leadership staff!

I believe the definition of a leader can best be defined as someone who ensures their team has support, encouragement, and guidance to accomplish their ambitions. During my time at the 20/20 Leadership program, the biggest change in my definition of being a leader has been understanding and realizing that there is no individual set of characteristics that define a leader. Certainly, there are traits that benefit, but no leader is exactly the same. Beforehand, I was extremely close minded, allowing myself to assume and full heartedly believe that the same matching attributes accompanied every leader. I thought I had to force myself to acquire those same qualities to be considered a leader, but experiences from the 20/20 Leadership program taught me the complete opposite. 

I think the most significant area in my leadership’s growth and improvement is instilling a growth mindset and adaptability. Instead of understanding leadership as a position, I now think of it as a process. Leadership can change depending on the type of person or people present. I learned that modifying and adapting your leadership style to various situations and people is a process. It is not a position where you have to have the same in every scenario you encounter, but a process in which you develop growth and change as time continues to go on. One vivid example is, adapting to learn to work collaboratively with students from different schools and backgrounds. Working with a strong group of leaders whom you have never had a conversation with before is a challenge. It can be scary and intimidating because everyone has a different leadership style and wants to be a leader just as much as you do. Fortunately, the 20/20 Leadership program students are open and willing to share the leadership role amongst themselves. I felt a sense of purpose working with them. The joy of building new friendships, the challenge of solving difficult problems within the team, and the satisfaction of solving those same issues together are experiences that have shaped my leadership style today. 

I plan to utilize what I have learned for the future by continuing to accept new experiences, new ideas, and new goals for myself. I plan to keep working towards self improvement with the skills I have learned. The 20/20 Leadership program has given me many reasons to expand my leadership skills further. One thing I aim to do is establish new connections and share my experiences with others. The value of shared experiences has the potential to inspire others to do the same. 20/20 Leadership has inspired me to be the person I am today, and now, I, too, want to inspire others to their fullest potential by leaving a legacy behind. Leaving a legacy means everything to me because I want mine to serve as an example, make a difference, contribute to future generations, and make change where needed.