Senior 4

I am a senior leader. My name is &&&&& &&&& and I have been a part of 2020 leadership since my junior year. Being a part of 2020 leadership has taught me that there are way more possibilities and opportunities out there when it comes to life after high school. I have been a leader since elementary school. Outside of school, people have always told me I have a lot of potential and applaud me for my work ethic and the way I see the world. I see myself going above and beyond giving everything I have.

I used to be a very outspoken child. In class, I would be the one they would have to ask to stop answering questions to give other students a chance. I am the student other students come to when they aren’t understanding what the teacher has been saying. When I was in the 6th grade I found out my school had a student council. At the meeting the teacher asked all of us if we were ready to debate and fight for the position. Out of 6 participants, I was the only one ready to get on stage, debate, and campaign for my spot. Once I became President I had so many fundraising ideas and I led a lot of meetings. The recognition was amazing, it went from everyone saying hi to me to all the little 4th and 1st graders asking me questions like I was a celebrity. I went on to become student council president my junior year of highschool. The teacher who was sponsoring the meetings specifically picked me saying I am a smart kid and that I’m the role model a lot of the students needed. Then the following year I had to build a student council from scratch because our new principals didn’t have anything set up for it. I helped put together our homecoming dance, spirit weeks, our student store, and picked out our prom theme. The first semester of my senior year kids kept on asking me questions and giving me suggestions because they felt like the teachers weren’t listening and I was someone who could get something done for them.

In the summer of 2020, I got my first job. It was a lifeguarding job and due to all the medical information needed to work this position I had to take a certification class. There were multiple tests and one of them called for people to team up. Unfortunately my team was more nervous then I was and we kind of failed the test the first round. I wasn’t having it, so on our next turn I just kept on reminding them of what to do and how some things were supposed to look over and over again and we still didn’t pass. The instructor went on to pull me aside saying, “I like the way you took control out there, so I’m going to have you sit this one out”. That statement right there allowed me to gain more confidence in myself and the things that I do. Ever since then each year I have gotten a promotion from lifeguard, to supervisor, to manager. Being a manager, I had to deal with a lot of mean customers, unprofessional workers, and district managers who do not like answering their phones. I used to drive 20+ minutes to get to work because no other manager would work at my pool. Can you imagine being 17 years old, running an entire water park with other teenagers with a broken hand, working 6 days a week from open to closed?

I have always been a leader even when I didn’t know it. I may be nervous and unsure about things, but I won’t quit. I can lead my coworkers to better solutions, I can lead my classmates to better grades, and I can lead myself  to better opportunities. I appreciate the program for all the knowledge they have provided me with and I am confident and proud to say that I am a 2020 Leader.