The Element That Must Be Learned by Arnulfo

The Element That Must Be Learned by Arnulfo - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

Leadership, the word conjures images of U.S. presidents, executives, directors, people who take charge and command people, pull them together with the power of their words, the significance of their actions, for a single cause. Ideas and intellect are the driving force behind any enterprise, from technology to agriculture to advertisement. But the one element we don’t always see, the one pulling the strings in the background and pushing people to try their best, is leadership. When the going gets tough, a leader gets going and makes sure they accomplish what they set out to do. That being said, leadership skills are absolutely necessary for college success and for getting ahead in the world.

While being a leader may seem like a coveted, prestigious position, having leadership skills in college means having the initiative to start your own project, be it a community service effort, a research endeavor, or a new club on campus. It means taking the reins and making a change, even when others may not want to. A student who has the ambition and grit to make their own organization in college and take charge of its activities or to lead a group project and oversee the participation of its members is a student who’s willing to do the same in the future and make a meaningful impact.

In my senior year of high school, myself and other students formed groups that would tackle issues in the city of Houston and perform community service in an effort to make a difference on the community. We decided to make our project about the matter of hunger in the Houston area and worked with the Houston Foodbank to volunteer and conduct research. The project itself involved multiple presentations throughout the school year and necessitated that several group-members take the lead in different aspects of the project. Proficient in English and writing, I took the responsibility of writing and editing most of the text and essays involved in the project, and proofread any work written by other group members. While some students weren’t amenable to the idea and seemed offended or standoffish when I read suggested a change in their writing, I knew that change was necessary and could not allow the project to be put in jeopardy because of an offended colleague. I assumed leadership in a situation that I knew others would not agree with but I knew that someone had to take charge and make changes to the project.

Circumstances like this are common not only in college but also in the workplace. Dealing with people, letting them know what they should and shouldn’t do, and ultimately being responsible for their actions is what leadership is all about, and college especially involves interaction with peers and taking charge of different projects. Even if you’re not one to start your own club or organization, taking the lead in a project for a class is something that students need to be able to do. Leadership isn’t something we’re all born with, but it’s the element that must be learned if one expects to succeed in college.