A leader is someone who makes a conscious choice to become a voice that others follow. Leaders are not afraid to stand apart from the crowd, and have a passion to bring people towards a cause that they believe in. Leaders are courageous, compassionate, and confident, and emulate these characteristics throughout their life. Leadership is a lifestyle and true leaders never shy away from an opportunity to take charge in situations that call for someone to direct a group. Someone who is a leader takes advantage of every opportunity to do so, while still maintaining the skills needed to work well with other people and be a cooperative teammate. Throughout our lives, we will discover many different things that draw our attention and spark an interest …show more content…
As a student at Southern Methodist University, I will seek out opportunities in order to further develop my leadership skills and utilize them on campus. Throughout high school, I have taken part in various leadership experiences. During both my junior and senior year, I was chosen as a UNITE mentor at my school, which is an organization that works to help incoming freshman transition into the high school environment. I had my own small group of fifteen freshman that I met with every week, and acted as a mentor and friendly face in the hallways they could always seek out for advice. I also found leadership roles within different extracurriculars that I was involved in, such as being the treasurer for my local youth in philanthropy group, the President of Finance for our school’s debate team, as well as a religious education teacher at my Church. Throughout each of these experiences, I have formed the skills necessary to be an effective leader. I have learned strategies that help a group function successfully, as well as the possible negative aspects that need to be addressed. Specifically on campus I would aim to incorporate different passions of mine through the many clubs and organizations offered at Southern Methodist. I do not shy away from standing apart from the crowd or going against the dominant discourse. I will not only being an enthusiastic leader, but also a passionate student who is eager to learn. One aspect of a great leader is someone who is able to communicate well with others. Personally, I greatly appreciate interacting with others in order to learn their own perspectives and opinions on different topics, so that I can broaden my knowledge on the world around me. I believe that this is one of our greatest resources as humans in order to grow: each other. As a leader at Southern Methodist University, I would encourage others to join me in developing