I bring to the table my passion for leadership, dedication to service, and bounding amounts of enthusiasm. Along with these passions come other qualities: my optimistic attitude, dedicating 110% effort into everything I do, seeking out adversity, and striving to improve. Each of these courses make up the meal that I bring to the dinner party, and each course adds to the meal in a different, unique way.
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I believe my passion for leadership is one of my strongest selling points. If I were an action figure, “LEADERSHIP!” would be in big KAPOW letters on the front of the box. Contrary to Block’s opinion, I believe that leadership is one of the best qualities and skillsets we can possess as people. In his reading “From Leadership to Citizenship,” Block quotes “The era of leaders is over.” He says that we as people need to stop relying on our leaders to get stuff done, and instead need to focus on self-advocation, team-building, and economic success ourselves. His statement that I find most shocking is “Once an idea becomes an industry, it loses its meaning… The question of leadership that began as a search for spirit and vision has now been commodified.” Block insinuates that, since we are now actively trying to build great leaders, leadership has lost its value.
What I Bring to the Table
I could not disagree more with this belief. Block stages his argument against leadership, but the beast he’s actually fighting are modern day leaders, not the quality itself. Being accountable for yourself and others isn’t rejecting leadership, that is leadership. While some modern-day leaders may only look out for themselves, a true leader looks out for others. While some modern-day leaders push their own personal agendas, a true leader advocates for those she represents. While some modern-day leaders may believe they are the best, a true leader knows he can always learn more, especially from others. With all of these modern-day leaders not meeting our standards, we should want to educate people on leadership. It needs to be taught that leadership isn’t telling others what to do, it’s acting in your group’s best interest. That it’s taking care of your group and never becoming complacent. It would be foolish to abandon the concept of leadership now, because true leadership is exactly what our world needs. Without the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr., the Civil Rights movement would be lightyears behind where it stands today. Without the leadership of George Washington, the amazing country we call home would not even exist. “Survival of the fittest” is a scientifically backed concept, and I find it hard to believe it’s a coincidence that leadership is a common denominator throughout nearly all successful societies in history and in those that thrive today.
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To provide a more relatable and relevant example of how leadership can lead to success, I’ll share a time when I have been put into a position of leadership and benefited those around me. As Co-President of my high school’s DECA Chapter, Shawnee had the largest amount of State Competition qualifiers in years, and our 18 National Competition attendees was double the number of our average nine in years prior. How did that happen? Did my partner and I get a lucky year? No. We didn’t get lucky, we took initiative. We offered opportunities for members to practice their testing and roleplaying skills so they could identify where they struggled and work to improve it. We ran fundraisers every Wednesday so more students were financially able to progress to higher competitions. Most importantly, we displayed our passion and enthusiasm for the club, and that spread like wildfire and motivated our fellow DECAthletes to put in 110% effort as well. It wasn’t always easy for us - staying after school for two hours wasn’t on the top of our “Things I Like to Do” list, and we definitely were not fans of driving the Chick-Fil-A fundraising bags back to the store 10 miles away in rush hour traffic. But we did it because that was what would help our club and its members succeed. Because true leadership entails putting others before yourself. That’s why leadership is at the top of “Things I Bring to the Table”, because the benefits of true leadership far surpass the negative effects some modern day leaders create.
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Here at Tech, I believe my leadership can open up opportunities for my fellow Hokies. As Director of Communications for Pritchard, my goal is to make the residence hall aware of all involvement activities in order to broaden friendship horizons and foster a sense of family within the hall. Within SERVE and VT Engage, I hope to organize service trips to help facilitate prisoner rehabilitation and assist military veterans. These trips could offer students opportunities to engage with communities and cultures they have not yet had the chance to, as well as provide valuable learning experiences. If elected to a position within student government, my goal is to leave Virginia Tech better than when I arrived. Whether that be through legislation, advocation, or program creation, I somehow wish to leave a lasting, positive mark here on campus and around Blacksburg.
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The next course of the meal I bring is dedication to service. Service is something that has always been important to me, from helping out at track meets in elementary school, to running as a volunteer EMT back home, to being a part of SERVE here at Tech. Service is a great way to give back to your community, help those in need, and get to know others. Service is a critical step in bringing about global change, and often a seemingly small act of service can go a long way. For example, say you help a local prison rehabilitate its convicts by offering them employment after their time, like the restaurant Felony Franks. You’re directly benefiting that former prisoner, yes, but that man may tell others about his experience, about what it’s like to live a fulfilling life without crime. With the power of social media it’s easier than ever to spread word across the globe. Next thing you know he’s inspired another convict to lead a life free of crime as well. And he inspires another. And then that man inspires another. And the list continues until more action is taken towards solving the issue, and before you know it you’ve started a movement that’s growing like wildfire.
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My dedication to service benefits those around me in several ways. My passion for paving new horizons has the potential to bring new community partners onto VT Engage’s radar, specifically those involving prison reform and veterans’ assistance. My service benefits those who I am directly serving, such as how volunteering at Feeding America creates a more manageable workload for the regular staff, and it also benefits those further down the line, such as the people who receive Feeding America’s care packages.
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The final course I bring to the table is my enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is one of mans’ greatest tools. With enthusiasm, one can accomplish tasks beyond those in their wildest dreams. If someone is working on a job or task they’re not excited about, the outcome is not going to reach its full potential. But if one is passionate and charismatic about what they’re doing, they’re capable of tackling great feats. With my enthusiasm, I bring drive, motivation, and a sense of togetherness. It only takes one disgruntled or pessimistic person to bring the whole team down, which is why I aim to have the opposite effect – to be the one excited optimist who helps propel the whole team forward. Within SERVE, at Tech, and at other communities I’m a part of, I believe my enthusiasm genuinely fosters a positive atmosphere where even the most tedious tasks can become somewhat enjoyable, and the most fun tasks become an absolute blast. Most importantly, this positive atmosphere makes it an overall better experience for everyone involved.