Senior Essay 49

Leadership, a word that has followed me throughout my high school career. For me, leadership is about responsibility, service, and integrity. Over the past four years, I have joined many in-school and out-of-school organizations, participating in community service events, projects, and other spaces to observe and listen. Working hard and remaining focused on my end goal of becoming a shoulder for many to lean on has been built and developed through earning leadership positions such as Class Vice president(10th & 11th grade), Black Student Union Vice President, Black Student Union promotion chair, dance team manager, Student Council Vice president, and operation breakthrough ignition lab product design teacher assistant. Across all of these positions, I have learned to be an effective leader with strong communication and collaboration skills.

As Class vice-president, my duties included fostering my class’s unity, voicing concerns, and improving communication between my peers and the administration, while working with my class presidents to plan events and fundraisers that catered to my class’s needs. As vice president, my leadership meant stepping up to ensure that my peers’ needs and expectations were met; in fact, it was my priority to make sure that voices were heard and not silenced. Holding this position for two years has allowed me to grow as a person, develop great communication skills, and public speaking, although I’ve pointed out these skills throughout the journey, as serving as class vice president for two consecutive years has shaped me into a person who knew I could do better as I moved forward in my high school career.

Now, as Student Council Vice President, my leadership abilities have expanded my responsibilities. My responsibilities have now shifted from just supporting my class to my whole school. I facilitate and collaborate with various committees that work together to address our student body’s concerns and needs. Planning events such as homecoming or prom, organizing successful fundraisers, and taking exciting field trips are some of the ways I foster school spirit and pride among the student body at my high school.

Besides being heavily involved in student government, I also serve as my school’s dance team and as a Product Design teacher assistant. As team manager, I manage music, help design team uniforms, align schedules, and keep the team performance ready. This role is allowing me to learn that leadership can sometimes be in the background, not always front and center. As a teaching assistant, learning to navigate CAD (computer-aided design) and helping other students is very supportive for my peers and me. This role has strengthened a great measure of patience and determination.

In the future, I aim to continue earning leadership roles through various opportunities. I want to continue working hard towards my passion for becoming a social worker. Combining the skills I developed as a teacher assistant with my leadership roles would help me create supportive spaces and platforms for those whose voices aren’t heard.

To wrap up, to me, leadership isn’t just about what type of roles you have or how many you have, but the lasting impact of your work. People should be able to recognize and feel empowered by the results of your work. Individuals feeling seen, heard, and supported have always remained my top focus while serving in these roles.