Senior Essay 37

Throughout high school, I have committed myself to excelling in academics, athletics, and extra-curricular 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, received a $500 grant to continue our initiative, and Youth Lead KC even honored me with a “quiet leadership” award. Now, I have now grown more confident in my ability to lead and hope to continue community service efforts in the future. 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 ultimate goal to continue leading our “Delightful Delivery” initiative and provide support to individuals who are in need.