Royals Essay 16

Throughout high school, I have committed myself to excelling in academics, athletics, and extracurricular activities while working as a leader in my community. Alongside my participation in Youth Lead KC, I am actively involved in Student Council, Volleyball, Track and Field, KC Scholars, National Honor Society, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), Harvesters, TRIO Upward Bound, and Speech and Debate. I served as volleyball co-captain and FBLA secretary and am currently a HOSA officer and senior class president. Being active in so many wonderful organizations has given me the opportunity to have many leadership experiences in high school, but nothing has been more impactful than my participation in Youth Lead KC’s Olympic Project last year.
For this project, students were tasked with finding a problem within our schools and creating a workable solution to address the situation. Even though I’m not very outspoken, my classmates selected me as the group leader. They told me that I possessed the qualities that would help our team succeed: responsibility, organization, compassion, and the ability to motivate others. So, I accepted this opportunity and worked hard to embody their view of me as their group leader.
As a group, we noticed that many people in our school and community didn’t have access to daily essentials and hygiene products. As teens, we knew that lacking resources can affect one’s mental health and ability to learn in school. Together, we organized an anonymous survey and administered it around school to determine if care packages would be beneficial. The survey showed an overwhelming need. Therefore, we developed a plan to secure products and pull together our care-package initiative called “Delightful Delivery.” We distributed care packages at school and partnered with Harvesters’ Food Drive to reach more people in need. For the project, we developed a clear plan for how things should be handled. I was responsible for making sure my team worked efficiently and that our goals were realistic and achievable. I made it a priority to listen to my team, incorporate everyone’s ideas, and hold both myself and others accountable. When the team got off task, I kept us working and gently brought the focus back to our project. When obstacles arose, I ensured we had effective backup plans and sought ways that we could adapt. Throughout this long year-long process, I worked to ensure everyone stayed engaged and kept a positive mindset. My focus always remained on persistence and ways to keep the team pushing forward.
In the end, our “Delightful Delivery” project was a success. Our team won first place, and Youth Lead KC honored me with a “quiet leadership” award. This experience completely changed how I see myself as a leader. I learned that I don’t have to be the loudest person in the room to make a difference; my actions spoke louder than my words. When I used to think about leadership, I often pictured individuals who were outspoken, who commanded the attention of any room they entered, and who took charge without hesitation. Now, I’ve learned that leadership isn’t just about having a strong presence. There’s so much more that can shape someone’s ability to lead. It’s more than holding a position of authority; it’s about being flexible, open-minded, trustworthy, leading by example, and helping everyone succeed. Many people overlook the power of quiet, reserved leaders, but I now see how quiet leadership can be the strongest and most effective. And I have now grown more confident in my ability to lead.
Since I was a young girl, my passion was to help and care for people. Participating in this project has continued to inspire my desire to help others by pursuing a degree in psychology. Seeing so many people in need of the care packages made me think about the importance of mental health and having access to essential resources. Mental health awareness first presented itself in my life when I was young. I was born a twin but grew up without my twin brother because he passed away after seventeen days of life. Although I was too young to remember him, his absence has had the biggest impact on my life. His loss has always felt like a quiet reminder of how fragile life can be and how a deep loss can shape a family. Growing up, I watched how his passing affected my family’s overall mental health and how grief always silently lingered within us. I believe that it made me more observant, compassionate, and more aware of the struggles people carry behind closed doors. As I entered the stage of maturing, I began to notice how many individuals in my community were being affected by their mental health issues, as well. This gave me a desire to dive deeper into human behavior, explore how certain disorders affect people, and what strategies people can use to self-regulate.
The Youth Lead KC’s Olympic project was important to me because I love being able to support others and give back to my community. I chose our slogan to be “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted” by Aesop because you never know what silent battles someone is dealing with and how one small act can make a difference for them. After graduating from high school, my goal is to pursue a degree in psychology and later open up my own private practice, specifically working with adolescents. Based on my observations in my own community, I have been shown that mental health is more than a personal issue—it’s a community issue. When care is inaccessible or lacking, everyone feels the impact. It is my hope that helping others build themselves up will create a better world for us to exist in. Awarding me this scholarship would be an investment in a student who is determined to pursue her passion, achieve a higher education in psychology, and make a difference in the world.