Pressure by Kyle Nathan

Pressure by Kyle Nathan - April 2022 Scholarship Essay

Have you ever been in “hot water”? Like a sauna? Steamy air rushes through my veins as I realize the door locks. Scrambling to escape, it seems I can do nothing as the heat intensifies. The hopeless fate stuns me as I awake from my horrific daydream. Coordinating prom exemplified a leader stuck in a pressure cooker.
I’d always been the under-the-radar junior class president until March when the school tasked me with hosting prom. It seems typical, right? Not with a chaotic twenty-person class needing to raise $6,000…during COVID... in a month… while finding food, a theme, a venue, and a DJ!
When sharing the daunting task ahead, my classmates displayed variegated attitudes. While a good leader determines things for others, a great leader paves an influential demeanor to replicate through Filipino values involving transactional, charismatic, and democratic leadership.
I immediately proposed bi-weekly meetings with all faculty and students to weave around COVID’s limitations. My Filipino transactional leadership style advocates enthusiasm to fundraise for prom. I motivated my class to compile pandemic-friendly fundraiser ideas modeling my parish raffle, which raised $2,000. I encouraged my classmates with gift cards for outstanding contributions through incentive-based endeavors.
My teachers praised these efforts, but they addressed a slight shortfall. I realized they intended to share their insight privately, but I focused too much on the class and blocked them out. My cabinet and I recruited our athletic director to rethink our approach and create a funding website.
The first two weeks blazed past us with little success. We only met a third of our goal, and my peers seemed unmotivated. I felt anxious and pressured about the impending doom ahead: No prom. I needed to reset my negative outlook with charismatic leadership. Meditating on my parent’s sacrifices to migrate to America, I reminisced on their resilience when homeless and starving. I shifted from distress to enthusiasm to turn the tides when we collaborated on ideas at a friend’s house. Their insight gave me bountiful time to reconsider their aspirations for prom and adjust plans to secure funding.
While disagreements emerged from diverse perspectives, I needed reflection on the Philippines’ democratic leadership. I passionately ensured our various plans would blend with engagement and collaboration. To maximize satisfaction, I oversaw six group-think meets with class members to incorporate every musical and aesthetic preference into prom. I also held an election for entrees and desserts, addressing allergies. Utilizing active listening helped me assemble playlists, a Starry Night theme, and an accommodating menu.
My focus on constructive criticism served prom brilliantly! Through intense effort, persuasive rhetoric, and an anonymous $500 donation, we raised $6,265 and hosted an unforgettable dance!
As the booming speakers dwindled to slow-dancing songs, I took (my girlfriend) freshly-grilled chicken quesadillas with black forest cake by the hand, knowing the food didn’t come from an InstaPot. With every delectable bite, the pressure fizzled away as vision turned reality, knowing perseverant, sleepless nights were worth the one “Night Under the Stars.”