Servant Leadership by Katie

Servant Leadership by Katie - January 2016 Scholarship Essay

What does it mean to be a college student? Do anything for a good grade, stay up all night studying, and take naps in the library. I am definitely guilty of that last one even though I only have one semester of college under my belt. But all that stuff doesn’t define being a student. To me, the simplest definition of a student is someone who learns. Learning is a process that never stops and that happens to people of all ages whether they are in school or not; so my New Years resolution can be applied to those is elementary school, high school, college, graduate school, and even those in the work force because learning is still happening.
My New Years resolution to become a better student is centered on the idea of servant leadership. This idea highlights that success stems from ones ability to lead others by serving them first. Servant leadership is important because too often in current society are leaders concerned with their own status and what they can get out of something rather than what they can give. I want to learn how to be the type of leader who is effective in elevating their whole team, and the best way to learn is to start practicing now.
A way to incorporate servant leadership into my studies is to simply think of school not as an individual competition, but as a team sport. Right now with jobs being so hard to get, everything feels like a competition; but the more our society treats it as a competition, the more selfish we are breeding our leaders. There are so many benefits to tutoring or group studies. One of the best ways to learn a concept is by explaining it to someone else. Being the “teacher” in a study group has already helped learn so much, and it takes of the pressure of competition for everyone in the group.
This New Years resolution will not only help me to become a better academic student, but it will also help me become a better “life” student. I want to learn skills in college that I can use in my studies, in my career and in my personal relationships. Focusing on servant leadership in 2016 will be so rewarding in my growth as a student.