Intimidation. Fear. Weakness.

These traits became a gigantic burden to climb when a

leadership position arose. My palms began to sweat and my heart rate would increase at the
thought of being in charge. Towards the beginning of high school I involved myself with various
activities but shied away from responsibilities geared towards an authoritative nature. My
participation rarely exceeded weekly meetings or maybe an occasional event. After all, what if
people did not follow my lead or I failed? What would that say about me? This mindset mirrored
my school work. Although I only got below a B once (it was a 79, I’m still bitter), I never worked
towards getting straight A's, even when I knew it could be achieved. When did I begin to settle
for such mediocrity? I had convinced myself that easily maintained goals had a greater
possibility of success. The aspect I purposefully chose to overlook was that by doing this I
stunted my personal growth and set the bar for myself at the bare minimum when I knew I was
capable of doing so much more.

With this in mind, I decided to no longer allow these shortcomings to stand in the way of my
progression. As I walked through the fluorescently lit, mural lined hallways at a new school on
my first day of junior year, I felt eager to escape my comfort zone. Within a few weeks I was
elected to be a part of the Principal's Student Advisory Cabinet. These students are selected by
administrators and contribute to the health and well-being of our school community. I have
further developed my relationships with staff and student body, and am now proficient in
translating the needs of students into actions that formulate change, reform, and creative
expression of ideas. Listening, continually communicating, and managing the ability to challenge
my thoughts has contributed to new developments within my core values. Soon I became
president of the Academic Society, an organization on campus that promotes total student
inclusion - no matter the GPA. Engaging in everything from bake sales to adopting an entire
family for the holidays, the Academic Society plans community events that everyone on campus
can get involved with. Coordinating activities of this magnitude has required me to stay
proactive, organized, and trustworthy. I am fortunate that my decision to change schools and
direction​ ​has revealed the importance of being in control of my educational opportunities​.

It may seem as if I have reached my goal but, I still have so much to learn. This shift from
intimidation to confidence did not happen overnight. It required the understanding that change is
put into action by taking necessary risks and building a strong foundation. I once thought failure
was being unsuccessful, however, I now understand that it is necessary. I realize that the
greatest mistake I have made was not trusting my abilities and thinking I had reached my full
potential when I was only applying minimum effort. If given the opportunity I will carry the
lessons I have learned about leadership and personal growth with me to your institution of
higher education and contribute to the scholastic environment by involving myself with student
life and giving back to the community, thus initiating further progress to pave the path of my
future.