Stepping Up by Ifeoma

Stepping Up by Ifeoma - December 2013 Scholarship Essay

I considered joining my school’s tennis team in the summer of 2012 because my best friend wanted me to accompany her to the summer conditioning so she wouldn’t be alone. I would have never guessed that this sport would eventually aid me in gaining confidence, an important characteristic that leaders possess. Initially, I was a horrific player, and I could tell because I was practically hitting touchdowns on the adjacent football field with my swings. I had to go get so many balls off that field that I felt like I was a part of the football team at one point. However, I didn’t let those setbacks deter me from being good at the sport. I worked harder, went to all the practices, and maintained good sportsmanship throughout the entire process. In the start of the season, which was in early 2013, I knew all my efforts paid off because out of 23 girls I was part of the ten that made varsity. In addition, I was a part of the top seven varsity girls whose matches actually contributed to our rankings for region. I was proud that I accomplished this in my first year of playing tennis. I knew if I set out to accomplish a goal, my mind would not let me consciously stop until the job got done. However, I knew this had to be a team effort, so I started organizing mini practices outside the practice we received at school with a majority of the team. I would persistently ask people to come so we could all work together on getting better. By being assertive and taking this leadership role, my team and I became better.

All my life I have been the lone Indian in a room full of chiefs. I didn’t step up to leadership without assistance or coaxing from others. When I did step up from the assistance it produced good results. However, having such high authority over multiple people was a frightening; doing so was out of my comfort zone. I feared that I would ignite anger in others in my attempts and possibly have their wrath thrown at me. As foolish as that sounds it was that fear that kept me at bay up until I started playing tennis. After much dedication I found a deep love for the sport. Tennis helped me gain more confidence in myself and my capabilities as a leader. This showed me that leadership comes more easily to activities that are held precious to a person. I can infer from this that I will be very likely to try to obtain higher roles in any career that will ultimately lead me to my dream career of being a radiologist.