Alumni F4

Throughout my time in the 20/20 Leadership program, I have noticed many changes in the way I am and in the way that I help people. When I first saw the application for the 20/20 Leadership program, I was hesitant to apply. All because of the word leadership. You see, before I joined the program, I was very shy and wasn’t outgoing at all. I was very afraid to speak up for myself or my friends. I said to myself, “Why not give it a shot” and applied. Once I saw I was accepted I may or may not have dreaded seeing how orientation was going to go. On the day of orientation, I liked all of the teachers and peers that were there. They all seemed like they welcomed me and I felt like I belonged. Overall, it seemed like a very fun program. Fast forward a couple of months and I start to feel more confident in myself. This is all because of the 20/20 Leadership program. I thank them for all of the progress they have made to help make me become a leader. Now in the present day, I am not as shy as before, I am not afraid to speak up for myself or my friends, and I am way more outgoing. Some of the ways that I have demonstrated leadership is by speaking up for my peers and friends. One example is that whenever one of my friends has a question for a teacher but is too scared to ask, I go ahead and ask for them. Another example is that I am not afraid to be the leader of a group project. I now find that I like being the leader and helping organize everything that has to do with the project, not only my part, which is very important to me. Early senior year me would be completely terrified of this. Another thing is that now compared to before I joined 20/20 Leadership, I am not as afraid of giving speeches in front of a group of people, even though public speaking is one of my fears. A way that I hope to demonstrate leadership in the future is by achieving my dreams of becoming both a medical interpreter and a medical social worker. I am currently in the process of being accepted into the medical interpretation program at Johnson County Community College. From there, I hope to attend the University of Kansas to get a bachelor’s degree in social work. Both of those careers require employees who will speak up for others who may want change in their lives and community, and they may need help understanding what will be going on throughout that process. I want to become that person. I aspire to be the one who will help make a difference and an impact in my community or anywhere. That’s what “leaving a legacy” means to me. I want to be remembered for all of the good things I did, even if it may be 100 years in the future. I thank the 20/20 Leadership program for helping me become more outgoing and to become a leader. If I am given this scholarship, it would be a great honor for me.