Unskilled Success by Karmen

Unskilled Success by Karmen - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

Leadership is defined by Merriam Webster as “the position or function of a leader, or a person who guides or directs a group.” Owning leadership skills depicts someone having the influence over a group and skillfully carrying that group onto a purpose. Not everyone exhibits leadership skills, but that does not mean that leadership qualities do not exist deep within, that may or may not emerge under the perfect storm. Regardless, if they emerge or not, is it necessary in obtaining college success?

First, who or what determines another’s college success? The diploma? For most people entering the realm of college, the desired end result is a diploma that reflects the hard work of an earned degree. Others are not interested in the degree, but maybe to obtain knowledge on a subject or two with no college plan or path with a beginning and ending. For said students college success is merely obtaining the knowledge they sought. No matter what defines their success in college, I do not believe that leadership skills are necessary for a person to obtain their individual college success.

Some students who are very successful and much smarter than I could ever imagine to be, enter the college field. They attend all classes with the hopes of never being called on, never speaking out in class, or never reaching out to make the lifelong friendships that so many of us make in college; however, they excel in their field of study, complete the whole program, graduate, and earn the degree. They are very successful in their mind, and mine too, because they achieved the desired end result. This person may work in an office doing things on computers that I could not dream up in a lifetime, or maybe they sit in a lab and study diseases and cures. Some may work alone in a field with nothing but nature to surround them. To me all such cases are successful; however, while they may have a leadership quality, they could very well possess not one leadership skill.

I personally believe that everyone has leadership qualities buried deep within them. There is something everyone is passionate about that could lead others into the knowledge of what they know. I firmly believe that everyone has something to share about their passion but, for whatever reason, they will never choose to speak up or speak out. So, yes, I believe everyone has a leader somewhere within them, but, not everyone has the skill to lead. Therefore, to the question “Are leadership skills necessary for college success,” I would have to say no. If everyone were the skilled leader, then who would we be leading?