The Value of Leadership: How My High School Musical Director Altered the Course of the Rest of My Life by Alexandra

The Value of Leadership: How My High School Musical Director Altered the Course of the Rest of My Life by Alexandra - May 2024 Scholarship Essay

The concept of leadership is complicated. Leadership is everywhere: whether it be the president of a school club, the CEO of a tech company, or the president of the United States. There are many different leadership styles: Authoritarian, Laissez-faire, Bureaucratic, and so on. Leadership is a skill learned and refined through experience. It is impossible to be born with the attributes of an effective leader. In addition, people have various opinions regarding what characteristics a good leader possesses. Some believe a leader needs organization and accountability, while others find more importance in empathy and equality.

A good leader can lead those under themself to achieve a common goal. A great leader synthesizes an environment where everyone feels not only motivated but also comfortable being themselves. This type of environment creates a more central sense of camaraderie and unity. A great leader also aids those under them to reach greatness on their own.

My high school musical director is someone who has demonstrated leadership in my life. From our first rehearsal in my junior year, she worked hard to build a sense of community among the cast and crew. Putting a show together is difficult, to say the least, but she handled the task with such positivity and encouragement. She made rehearsal a safe space for everyone and was always there if we needed to talk to someone. We all became a big family, regardless of our various grade levels or other outward differences. We were always there for each other, cheering one another on.

We faced many obstacles along the way, the most daunting being multiple cast members contracting Covid two weeks before opening night. Many of us felt hopeless or doubtful that everything would work out in time. Our director handled this unfavorable situation rationally, ensuring us that we were in perfectly fine shape and everything would be okay. As she suggested, everything did work out and the show received lots of positive feedback from the community.

I always had aspirations of pursuing musical theatre in college, but as I got older, I started to doubt my abilities to continue performing as a career path. I vividly remember her sitting down with me before our final show and asking about my college plans. I expressed my concerns regarding continuing musical theatre and how scary and competitive the audition process for the programs seemed. She assured me that I would end up where I was meant to be and that I didn’t need to get into the best school to receive great training. Because of her encouragement and belief that I would thrive anywhere, I decided to follow my dream of studying musical theatre in college. It was difficult and took a lot of hard work, but she was there every step of the way checking in and discussing my auditions with me. She was so thrilled for me when I told her I was accepted into one of my top schools for theatre. I truly owe where I am now to her because she helped me overcome my self-doubt, and I will carry the lessons I learned from her for the rest of my life.