Senior 23

Throughout my high school career, I have been involved in many extracurriculars. This has opened the opportunity to a variety of leadership roles. I have been captain of the Robotics team since junior year. This involves planning, designing, and building our robot. I also have to create a game plan and talk strategy with the other team during the competition. I have been Class President since Junior year as well, and I lead the student council in planning school events like dances, pep rallies, and fundraisers for our events. I am also a leader in Upward Bound as the underclassman usually comes to me for advice on classes, how to study, and for tutoring. But it is not enough to have the title but how you have earned it. I just listed my experiences, but what is most important is how I have shown that I deserve this title. For example, in robotics, we often have many failures and hardships, and most give up. This is a common emotional response, but if everyone has this response, then we would get nowhere. The slightest error would make our team crumble apart, so I try to be the glue that holds us together. I am not saying I do not feel pressure, defeat, or burnt out, but I try to hold it in. I like to say, “fake it till you make it,” because this is all I do. I don’t know how we will move on how to fix it, but sometimes you don’t need to know. Sometimes you just need the confidence that you will move on. I pretend to be okay and tell us we can move forward. That creates a moving ball then we all start believing it and are able to pick up the pieces and put them back together. This was my mentality during junior year, not wanting to admit I was struggling. As a senior, I feel I can be honest about my feelings. I tell my teammates I have no idea where to go next or how to fix our mistakes but that we will make it through, and they believe me telling me they put their trust in me to find our way out of this. I feel this is a true demonstration of leadership abilities. You won’t always know everything, but if people are still willing to follow you when you admit defeat, then you know it is not just about knowledge but character and your abilities. Since I know what I am capable of, I hope to lead others on a smaller scale in the future. Whether that be taking the lead to new experiences with my friends or coworkers, being the one to speak up about injustices, or simple information others need but are too afraid to ask. This might seem like a small leadership position, but everyone needs a leader in their lives to show leadership by leading through example because, soon enough, those people will become a leader. Also, as an alumnus of 20/20 Leadership and Ruskin High School, I want to give back by returning to these organizations. I can return and mentor the robotics team. With 20/20 Leadership, I want to come back to volunteer for the organization’s big events.