Listen When Your Elders Are Speaking by Kyle

Listen When Your Elders Are Speaking by Kyle - May 2024 Scholarship Essay

Leadership to me is about the connections and relationships you establish throughout your life with people from all walks of life. I think of my papa (my grandfather) when I think of strong leadership. He was a man that could lead others without speaking many words, he led by action, and everyone noticed.

Growing up in a single parent household raised by my mother, my grandfather was very present in me and my older brother's life. Weekends would come and we knew we were going to be hanging with papa some of my best memories are with him riding in his new clean car, playing his favorite old school music (which I now love). He always shared stories of his childhood, my mother's and her siblings' childhoods while always leaving little nuggets of wisdom for us to think about. Expressing what it is to be a gentleman, how important it was to be a kind person and a leader and to always be your own thinker.

We would always go to the carwash on the weekends, and I remember thinking to myself "the car is already clean, why are we here?" But what I did not understand then but have a better understanding now was one of the many life lessons he taught us just by being around other men in the community and being relatable. I witnessed the beauty and strength of the relationships and connections my grandfather had with so many different people. I would get to sit back and listen to their thoughts on school, music, what was going on in the different neighborhoods, among other lively topics all while laughing at the old men jugging at each other and cracking jokes. But when my grandfather spoke, the attention and focus others had on what he was saying was amazing to me, everyone stopped to listen. He was born and raised in the community and a giver back to his community in multiple ways, time, and money and all respected him for that. He never forgot where he came from and always tried to uplift others, bring others along if they were willing to do the work. He showed others how to lead with action and words.

He passed in 2018 and I remember the day of his funeral there was not an open seat in the entire church, and it was a big church. The community showed up for a well-respected leader and friend. Those that spoke about him remembered him as a man for others, a leader, a kind and giving soul. And I remembered thinking that day, those were the very words he spoke to me and my brother on numerous occasions. He made others laugh, smile all the time and I could tell people just like being in his presence. My mom often tells me that everyone thought they were his best friend. I know it's because of the relationships he built and nurtured was what made him a great leader.

I aspire to lead as my grandfather did using the practices he instilled in me, I like my grandfather am not a man of many words, but to have a presence that makes others better is one of my goals in life. I am my grandfather's grandson.